Speaking of Travel® With Marilyn Ball... No Passport Required! (Marilyn Ball)

Matt Bowles co-founded Maverick Investor Group in 2007 as a fully remote real estate brokerage company. He also hosts The Maverick Show podcast while living a location-independent lifestyle as a digital nomad with no permanent base since 2013. Over the last nine years, he's run his company from 65 different countries on six continents. Matt shares how he created his travel lifestyle as a full time digital nomad with no permanent base as a way to find financial success and location independence. 

Also on Speaking of Travel is Andrew Nehlig, founder of the Sauna House in Asheville, NC. Andrew created a communal sauna bathing space that delivers health benefits, boosts your mood and provides human connection in a safe, mindful environment. 

And join Tina Kinsey at the Asheville Regional Airport for some seasonal travel tips and updates on air travel overall. 

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 + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford of the Amazon Prime TV Show, Leave No Trace, continues to highlight the importance of conservation, sustainable travel and eco-tourism with helpful information to help you create your own personal sustainable travel experience. 

Through epic travel experiences in Season One of his highly successful show, Richard reflects back on the impact when the world hit the pause button due to a global pandemic. For Richard and his team, being on lockdown provided opportunities they would never have considered. Discover how staying connected to his world-wide community of people making sustainable choices gave them hope. 

Today, Richard is moving forward into Season Two of Leave No Trace TV and is looking forward to traveling again. Find out what destinations are on his radar and why and how you can travel to places where sustainability is applied to every part of your journey, no matter your budget, style, or destination. 

Also, Richard shares some exciting news about the growth of Leave No Trace TV. Hear it first on Speaking of Travel! 

www.leavenotrace.tv

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Daniel Young is a talented and highly successful badass of fun and travel and has created a lifestyle that’s truly coming from a soulful place. Daniel is known for his gift of spreading positive energy and charisma, and know-how, in whatever scene he chooses to show up. From 2012 to 2014 he worked as a guide to whitewater kayaking in Costa Rica and Ecuador. Also being a talented musician, he looked for drum and bass shows in Quito and San Jose. Eventually he was performing internationally. Daniel discusses how his new platform for promoters and musicians, Beatdrifters, was inspired and how he figured out how to connect artists with promoters while traveling.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Chiara and Federico, based in Rome, Italy, created Ideas 4 Travellers to offer authentic Italian walking tour experiences that uncover a different Rome. Explore the Eternal City with people with so much to share.  

Chiara and Federico help you see, hear, taste and smell life as a true Roman does, sharing stories and experiences the way an old friend might – with passion, care and love for their special city. 

If you are traveling to Rome, Chiara and Federico add some unique spices to the classic menu of tours in the Eternal City and you will learn something different from what a typical tourist tour provides. 

Discover how fellow travelers become like the locals by going off the beaten path, eating great food in open air excursions and sharing informal, heartfelt conversations with these two local hosts. Ciao! 

Also on Speaking of Travel, discover how Kate Bannasch, co-owner and general manager of the Copper Crown restaurant in Asheville, navigates the changing landscape of best practices with the safety of their guests and staff a top priority.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Juan Carlos Zuniga is a biologist and the program manager of the Costa Rico site for Ecology Project International (EPI). He shares how their hands-on, science-focused programs around the world are life-changing.

Founded as a nonprofit organization in 2001, Ecology Project International creates positive long-term environmental impacts through its science education programs, conservation initiatives, and engagement with local communities and partners. 

EPI's travel programs are designed to nurture the sense of discovery at the heart of all learning. Juan Carlos shares how students and teachers are free to explore, inquire, and investigate all their curiosities. By working with wildlife and helping out researchers, the program  ignites a passion for science and conservation that lasts a lifetime.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Justin Bellame, an innovator, successful entrepreneur and travel industry expert, explains how his companies and partners are supporting each other with resiliency and resolve. 

And Tina Kinsey of the Asheville Regional Airport sheds some light on what’s new and important to know when you are going through an airport and boarding a plane these days to ensure our trips run smoothly. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Nineteen-year-old James Parton is a photographer and filmmaker and is creating a movie about ecology and the connectedness of global ecosystems. The project focuses on less known issues and brings them into the spotlight to help provide solutions for all of us. James plans to show what we can do to help combat these situations. His stories are uplifting and inspiring as he creates a collective community to help make a positive change. 
 
Also on Speaking of Travel, Garrett Martin, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, outdoor photographer, conservationist and owner of the production company - VentureLife Films, shares his newest venture, THE GREAT FOREST, which follows conservationists throughout southern Appalachia as they look to manage two of the most biodiverse and visited national forests in the country. 

And, a conversation with with Tina Kinsey at the Asheville Regional Airport. With so many state and national parks in this country, you might find yourself flying somewhere to be outside someplace else. And that could mean hanging out in the airport for a bit. Tina shares some ideas from what she sees and hears from passengers who are making that wait fun. 

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 + Climate Listening Project Series continues with Dayna Reggero and guests. Artist/biologist Shannon Bodeau has a new Climate Listening Project – From The Same Soil, a collaboration with the UNC Asheville McCullough Fellowship. Shannon interviewed people from around the world and created hand-drawn graphite portraits, weaving science and storytelling through art. Also, two 9th grade students and their teacher Jerry Lubos from the Franklin School of Innovation in Asheville, NC. They are creating podcasts focused around relevant connections to the guiding question “how do small actions lead to big changes?” 

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 + Leave No Trace Series continues with Richard Crawford, host of the Amazon Prime series, Leave No Trace. Richard reviews principles of ecotourism and provides knowledge on how to create a sustainable way to travel. 

As we get out and begin traveling again, it's time for all of us to know the difference between green, eco-, and sustainable tourism. Richard shares how important it is to pay attention when you travel after the pandemic and think about choosing certified hotels, tour operators, and other providers of tourism services so we can move towards becoming more sustainable tourists and how to travel with a lighter environmental footprint.

As Richard moves into Season Two of Leave No Trace TV, he offers up some of the best green destinations and tips for traveling to help save money, sleep better, get off the beaten path, meet locals, and just be a better traveler. It’s time to get out there again and try new things. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Dayna Reggero is a documentary film director and founder of a collaborative storytelling effort called the Climate Listening Project. Kelly Sheehan is the Senior Director of Energy Campaigns for the Sierra Club, where she leads a national effort to advance climate justice and a transition off of fossil fuels. 

With huge strides being made in the quest for climate action and the general wellbeing of the planet, Dayna and Kelly highlight what it will take for the population in the Gulf to have a better lifestyle by making of improvements on as many physical systems as humanly possible so they can survive. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, if you love science and space, join Tim DeIsle, Director of Software Engineering and Melanie Crowson, Director of Education and Astronomy, from the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI). PARI is located in Rosman, NC, and  began as a 1960s NASA station. Today PARI is a nonprofit astronomical observatory specializing in STEM education and dedicated to radio astronomy, archives, satellite communications and research partnerships.

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.

Bruce T. Martin is an American Fine Art photographer who uses photography to document the world, explore perceptions and question our viewpoints. Using his knowledge and imagination, Bruce blends a unique mosaic of visual details in his photographs to create a fresh perspective on the Maya's endangered worldview and disappearing legacy.

His book, Look Close See Far, A Cultural Portrait Of The Maya, is a collection of images and ideas gathered while traveling throughout the Maya region of Central America. Since 1987, he has taken more than 10,000 photographs over a range of landscapes and attitudes in an attempt to make a distinctive portrait of the Mayan Culture. 

Bruce is also a leading architectural photographer, making photographs for the nation's foremost architects, designers and publications.   

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Jenny Cressman is an author and occasional travel agent living in Canada who specializes in Cuba. Jenny shares how her recent trip provided an insider’s look at the resourcefulness and resiliency of the Cuban people.

Jenny shares how one of the key reasons for this trip was to deliver some humanitarian aid – mainly basic “medicine-cabinet” items such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and naproxen. 

And some interesting news on the medical front regarding what the Cubans are doing to stay safe. Jenny provides the most current information for how to travel back to this special and enchanting country.  

Also on Speaking of Travel is Jen Brooks from RomanticAsheville.com to share how to best plan a spring vacation in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and foothills surrounding Asheville and Western North Carolina.  

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Katie Wilson, Director and CEO of Grow Abroad Asheville, is a born teacher and life-long learner with a purpose to connect people, places and ideas. Grow Abroad Asheville helps create future agents of change and global citizens.

 “It is my purpose on this planet to connect people, places, and ideas. I believe in the necessity of empowering one another and believe it is done through fun, play, and support." 

Katie shares how Grow Abroad Asheville provides opportunities for intercultural learning and sharing. Find out how you can become a host family and become part of a diverse community where cultural immersion is the name of the game! 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Kim Murray, the new Executive Director of the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, shares how a culture of collaboration and stewardship goes a long way to keep the kitchens cooking and the tables set. 

And if you are beginning to travel again, Tina Kinsey from the Asheville Regional Airport,
explains how airports continue to move forward with innovative ideas to ensure you have the best, and easiest experience possible. 

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 + Climate Listening Project Series continues with Dayna Reggero and celebrates Earth Day with guests Jill Kubit of DearTomorrow and Frida Berry from Parents Roar in Sweden. Dayna heads to New York to participate in the United Nations Women's International Forum (WIF) Leave It Better Than We Found event and Earth Day 2019 with women from around the world. 

Jill Kubit tells us about DearTomorrow, a digital and archive project for people to personally connect with the issue of climate change. Frida Berry called in from Sweden and is the founder of Our Kids' Climate, a global network of parent-focused climate organizations, and is the spokesperson for Swedish parent and climate organization Föräldravrålet (Parents Roar).     

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 heard from many people over the years that riding a motorcycle gives you the total blending of your mind and body and you can actually have a meditative and somewhat spiritual experience. 

Michael Gouge, editor of Blue Ridge Motorcycling Magazine and senior lecturer of mass communication at UNC Asheville, shares how motorcycling is a stress reliever and a confidence builder and helps boost your wellbeing. 

Also Kyle Ellison, founder of Wai Mauna SUP Tours, explains how paddle boarding lets you feel grounded in the moment and more alive. And offers so many ways to feel more connected to nature.

And discover how the Asheville Regional  Airport's long-term design project will culminate in  a new, modernized airport to meet the needs of the region for decades to come.  

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 + Leave No Trace Series With Richard Crawford, continues. 

Like many modern-day explorers, Richard has the unique ability to blend adventure with a conscious effort to use his show, Leave No Trace TV, as a platform to raise awareness of environmental issues and sustainability that challenges our world. His passion for the environment leads him on some very impressive adventures. 

Richard shares his most recent adventures to Belize and Fogo Island for season two of Leave No Trace TV.  From the rainforest to the far reaches of Newfoundland, Richard explains how people are creating sustainable solutions around local community and doing their part to help save the planet. 

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.

Since 2006, the Blue Ridge Honor Flight, a non-profit organization, has been transporting veterans from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to Washington, DC on an all-expense paid visit to the memorials dedicated to their honor.

Honor Flight Board VP Marybeth Burns and Fundraising Chair Lisa Parham share how the efforts of a community help to honor our veterans for the sacrifices they have made and how you can get involved. On May 4, 2019, they will fly again, giving those who have served our country a chance to experience the hope, healing, and welcome home they so deserve.  

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Toby Brown, the U.S. partner, director of marketing, and head safari coordinator at Outdoor Africa, shares how traveling to this special place of the world provides amazing and life-changing experiences.

Toby began 2022 with trips to Tanzania and South Africa and was thrilled to be back to places so near and dear to his heart. Whether you are planning your first safari or a return visit, the team at Outdoor Africa provides deep-seated connections to help you plan a trip created uniquely for you.

And be sure to consider (and sign up) for the Speaking of Travel + Outdoor Africa trip to South Africa in March, 2023. Visit speakingoftravel.net for all the info and come along on this small-group adventure! 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Mark Collins, Partnerships Manager for RomanticAsheville.com, shares how the economic impact of the Outdoor Industry helps in preserving and protecting, and promoting, responsibly what we have for future generations.  

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Burt is to off Tampa. The trip has become routine, as he flies down most weekends to continue the process of becoming permanently settled in Florida. As a frequent flyer, Burt knows how to make the most of his time in the airport.

“If you can get TSA Pre-[check] or Global Entry, you can get through security lines much, much quicker,” Burt said. “There’s usually no line, so that saves 15 or 20 minutes.”

Burt loves the stress-free experience of flying AVL. “There is very little stress to fly here,” he said. “It is very relaxed. You don’t see a lot of people very nervous… it’s about as laid-back an airport as you’ll ever find.”

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Joseph is heading home. Some might call it St. Petersburg, but Joseph calls it paradise. While he may not be a native, Joseph is a regular visitor to Asheville; and he has a few tips when it comes to smooth travel.

“Depending on the airline… make sure you download the app,” Joseph said. “You can check in.”

Joseph loves the ease of traveling through AVL. “The one thing about Asheville Regional is that it’s a smaller airport,” he said. “The rental cars are on-site… and baggage claim is a few yards away from the gate. Everything is concise and expedites the whole process — getting in, getting out and getting on your way.”

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

McCall is ready for vacation. She is from Franklin, North Carolina, and is traveling to Florida for a sunny escape with friends. McCall lives an hour away from the airport, so she is a practiced hand when it comes to planning ahead.

“Wherever I’m flying to, I have the app downloaded on my phone,” McCall said. “I check in before I leave and try to get here about an hour and 30 minutes early, just so I have plenty of time.”

McCall loves flying AVL. “I love that it’s a small airport, so it’s very easy,” she said. “You know where you’re going and then you just get to your gate and wait.”

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Alice and Chuck meet up with friends in different locations every year, and this year’s vacation brought them to WNC. They are originally from Ohio and decided to explore Asheville after hearing that it was a great place to be. When it comes to taking vacations, Alice likes to be prepared.

“I’m a great organizer,” Alice said. “I have things planned out. I start laying stuff out. By the time I’m ready to pack, it only takes minutes because everything is right there.”

Alice and Chuck love the relaxed nature of AVL. “I like small airports. They’re much more comfortable and relaxing,” she said.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Trevor is on his way to a coaching convention in Tampa with a unique accessory. As a director of basketball operations, his hat was prominently adorned with a piece of a basketball net — telling a story of its own. The piece was cut from a net the night before, symbolizing Appalachian State University’s Women’s Basketball Team’s victory in the Invitational National Tournament. As a professional tasked with arranging travel for the team, Trevor is a seasoned pro.

“A big thing for us is making sure you always have your ID,” Trevor said. “People take that for granted. We’ve gotten into situations when it’s not necessarily where you think its going to be all the time. Make sure you always have that, even before you get in your car.” 

This marks Trevor’s first time flying AVL. “This is definitely one of the better regional airports I’ve ever been to,” he said. “It’s clean. There’s a great restaurant and a great shop inside once you get in. Getting through security maybe took… five minutes. It was great and this place seems packed right now.”

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Georgette Blau, founder of On Location Tours, offers the only TV and movie-themed bus and walking tours in NYC and Boston. Discover why her tours are a unique part of tourism and the phenomenon of TV and movie tours.

Georgette founded On Location Tours in 1999 and  it has quickly become one of the East Coast’s most popular tourist attractions serving over 100,000 tourists and locals annually.  On Location Tours provides an opportunity to straddle fiction and reality so you feel as though you are part of the TV show or movie, ultimately bringing you closer to the characters themselves. Fun times ahead!

Speaking of tours, also on Speaking Of Travel is Kaye Bentley, founder of Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours, a one-of-a-kind tour showcasing the most spectacular views, craft cocktails and historic landmarks in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

And did you know the Asheville Regional Airport has a critical role in unlocking the growth potential of the entire region? Tina Kinsey from the Asheville Regional Airport shares how they are dealing with passenger traffic growth to continue creating a balanced and use-friendly airport experience. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Speaking of Travel is on location in the heart of North Carolina’s Surry County and the Yadkin Valley wine country. Discover all there is to see and do in and around an area rich in history, recreation and wineries. The Surry County Wine Trail is showcased in a full-color map brochure highlighting 16 wineries in and around the Yadkin Valley, along with five breweries and distilleries. The map simplifies the experience of spending time tasting wines and touring vineyards.

The Yadkin Valley is home to NC's first federally-recognized American Viticultural Area, the Yadkin Valley AVA. The wineries are small, with intimate wine tasting rooms providing more access to the winemakers and owners (often one and the same). 

The wine is amazingly good, the hospitality is truly outstanding and there are miles and miles of trails and rivers to explore! 

Visit yankinvalleync.com for your free wine trail map, a recreational map of the four rivers and to plan your trip to the Yankin Valley. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Born in Siena, Italy, a small medieval city in the heart of Tuscany, Marco Caratelli paints traditional Sienese art reprographics, replicating the work of the Sienese painters of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Every piece Marco creates is different, special and unique.

Marco specializes in the egg-yolk tempera technique, as described in the famous manual on painting by Cennino Cennini (14th century). He reproduces the world-renowned "Biccherne" panels which were painted, wooden covers placed over the accounting ledgers of the City of Siena from the 13th to 16th centuries. 

The panels were painted by such famous masters of the Renaissance as Duccio di Boninsegna, the Lorenzettis, Simone Martini and Sano di Pietro. As with the originals, Marco's recreations are painted on aged, quality wood and covered in pure gold leaf.  Following in the extraordinary tradition of famous classic painters, Marco shares his inspiration and passion for antique techniques

Also on Speaking Of Travel, Clark Lovelace, of the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Development Authority in Western North Carolina, provides an update about his county’s efforts to become more eco-friendly and educated as more destinations focus on natural resource preservation and the environmental impact of tourism. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Sonya and Frank DiPalma recently spent time in Sardinia, Italy, as part of Sonya’s research for a book about the Homeless European Land Project (HELP) which provided refuge for about a dozen displaced persons in the late 1950s thanks to actress Hope Lange and actor Don Murray. HELP served as a model for the United Nations for resettlement of refugees and it also influenced the creation of the Peace Corps.

Frank planned the trip around the island from Cardedu, Oristano, Simaxis, Sorso, Porto Torres, Castelsardo, Alghero, Sassari, Bosa, Olbia, Costa Smeraldo, Porto Cervo, San Teodoro and then Cagliari.

Sonya and Frank share their journey, along with a history, of this ancient island some call paradise on Earth. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Justin Bellame, founder of the JB Media Group and the publisher of Romantic Asheville.com, shares why vacation and short-term rentals are seeing an uptick and what it means to local economies. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

At 15, Hilde Lysiak believes you can accomplish anything, regardless of age or gender. In her memoir, Hilde on the Record, she shares her journey in finding her voice and discovering what is most meaningful in her life. At age seven she launched a newspaper and realized kids can plunge into the world and take action. Today she feels like her own world is just beginning.

Hilde is an American journalist and is a gifted young woman with an open-mind who is bringing her energy, ideas and courage to some of the most complex and important challenges facing the world today. 

She is already understanding the big picture better than older generations and has a vision for the future of journalism. Hilde's hope is by telling her story she can help others find their voice and discover what is most meaningful in their own lives.

Also on Speaking of Travel, new data shows the restaurant industry is coming back stronger than ever and the opportunities presented during these past couple of years will ultimately have a high impact in sustaining businesses for the future. Kate Bannasch, co-owner and general manager of Copper Crown, a neighborhood restaurant and gathering place in Asheville, NC, shares how she and her team have created a new model for today’s guests.  

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Visiting with Michelle and Dale Isom at the lovely 1915 Historic Federal Courthouse and Post Office in Wilkesboro, NC, home to the Blue Ridge Artisan Center and The Artisan Café. 

Find out how they are expanding cultural horizons for children and communities through educational programs to help preserve traditions from one generation to the next and how they are supporting and promoting local and regional artists, musicians and performing artists through the sharing of resources.

The Artisan Cafe is a local eatery and cafe also located in the 1915 building, serving amazing coffee and local, fresh products. A place to relax.

For hours, exhibits and other news, including information about the 2019 Carolina in the Fall Music & Food Festival, visit blueridgeartisancenter.org. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Richard Crawford, host of the Amazon Prime TV show, Leave No Trace, shares his recent journey to Australia and what it's like to travel today, addresses some of the challenges for sustainable tourism, and provides tips for becoming a more mindful traveler.

Richard is passionate about the health of our planet and helps us highlight the importance of conservation, sustainable travel and eco-tourism and inspires our actions through environmental stewardship.

In his television show, Richard travels the world unearthing extraordinary eco-friendly tourism destinations, giving us unprecedented insiders access to places and experiences that are on everyone's bucket list. 

Today, more than ever, travelers need resources and solutions to become more mindful when visiting destinations. Richard shares stories and experiences from the locations he visits and shows us why it's important to get to know the people and listen. And he provides tips to make your travel experiences easier and less stressful! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Dayna Reggero of the Climate Listening Project is collaborating with Gulf Coast locals to help protect the place they love from oil and gas development through filming and making art to lift up the truth tellers.

The Gulf Coast is not a sacrifice zone for pollution with already existing oil and gas development and now with 24 proposed LNG gas export terminals. This will be very harmful for the fragile environment and will be a hardship for the people living there. 

The Gulf Coast is home to beautiful people and communities. It’s a place people love to travel and is important for migratory birds. The Climate Listening Project is bringing the impact of what this would mean to the people and visitors along one of the most important shore lines in the world. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Johnny Morris hiked the entire Appalachian Trail to raise money and awareness for MemoryCare, an Asheville nonprofit founded by his mother, Dr. Margaret Noel, that provides services to caregivers and patients with dementia and other memory impairments. Find out how Johnny carries the experiences and lessons he had on the AT forward into a different lifestyle and how those experiences/ lessons changed or informed the decisions he makes today.

From MemoryCare is Mary Donnelly, a daughter, caregiver, support group leader and now dementia educator and consultant, along with Becky Anderson, a member of the MemoryCare board and a recipient of their caregiver services. 

Discover what makes MemoryCare unique and how their model helps uphold the dignity of people with dementia who are too often neglected by a fractured health care system and helps their caregivers receive real help for how to deal with it.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Diana Ralston is the founder and executive director of Can’d Aid, a national nonprofit that is creating a movement rallying people to become catalysts for change in their own communities through an unconventional approach to giving back.

Diana’s many years of experience in the nonprofit sector and her entrepreneurial approach is changing the way people think about philanthropy. 

Can’d Aid's roots were founded along with Oskar Blues Brewery during a natural disaster with a fundamental belief everyone has the ability to give back and do good. Today their mission of creating a movement of do-gooders generates a ripple effect of goodness.  Diana believes we are all in this together and encourages community connection through small acts of kindness. And it's working! 
 
Also on Speaking of Travel, Galen Marshall-Clark, the co-owner of Liminal Equus, an immersive trail riding and naturalist experience in Barnardsville, NC. Liminal Equus is a women-owned cooperative business based on connection with land, people, and animals. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Mark Collins, partnerships manager with RomanticAsheville.com, is at the center of creating successful partnerships in the travel and tourism industry and shares how cooperation and partnerships are used to achieve business and community goals.

Mark shares how the resiliency of the travel industry over these past few years has helped turn us more into sustainable tourists, with an aim to travel with a light environmental footprint, to support local communities and to help protect culture and heritage. 

Many traveler’s today have a desire to experience history and culture wherever they travel. Mark's hope is to see curious, compassionate, open minded, educated travelers of tomorrow who are finding their own solutions to be kinder and more compassionate.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Marilyn Ball, host of Speaking of Travel, and Richard Crawford of the Amazon Prime show, Leave No Trace TV, share current travel stories and tips to help you become a savvy traveler and equip you with skills to make travel easy. 

Even pre-pandemic, there was a surge in consumer consciousness and places were being built on sustainability. Ricky shares tips for choosing certified sustainable accommodations and what standards we should look for.

Marilyn and Ricky also explore sustainable travel and comfort. Today there are ecolodges and tour companies doing their part to protect their communities and preserve cultural traditions that also offer private, luxury accommodations and world class dining. Find out how to be a more savvy traveler, how to prepare, research, explore and keep an open mind. Relax.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Andy Teirstein composes for film, opera, and movement theater and he finds inspiration in the folk roots of modern culture and as a folk fiddle and banjo player. His new album, “Restless Nation,” reflects, musically, on his many travels.

Andy's early life reflects an eclectic background comprised of music, clown work, exploration, and acting. A vagabond by nature, his travels have helped bring strangers together, shatter stereotypes and open our minds to limitless possibility. 

The Village Voice said Andy's music "seems to speak in celestial accents of some utopia whose chief industry is dancing." A must listen! 

Also on Speaking of Travel is Tina Kinsey from the Asheville Regional Airport to share tips on what you will need to know about air travel this summer.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Connie Berry’s dream of becoming an archaeologist ended when she learned there was more to it than discovering the tombs of lost pharaohs. Instead, she created the Kate Hamilton Mystery series, set in the UK and featuring an American antiques dealer with a gift for solving crimes.

Her sense of place and love of the British Isles sets the tone for adventure and mystery.  Connie shares how she first fell in love with the British Isles and what  part the setting plays in her novels. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Jen Brooks, the editor of RomanticAsheville.com, the most popular online travel guide to the mountains and foothills surrounding Asheville and Western North Carolina, shares what to see and do this summer and gives us a sneak peek into what we can expect this fall.

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 writer Joshua Jung traveled to Uzbekistan as a tourist and before long he began to feel as though he was being treated like a local. Josh shares why sometimes it's better to stand out as a tourist.

Josh describes why being immersed in the life, culture, and language of another country through the lens of a local is the experience travelers search for. But for Josh, being an American – Korean-American, he's quickly outed as a tourist and proceeds to have a classic "tourist" experience.

Discover why Josh chose Uzbekistan, a country with a rich culture and one of the last hidden gems in the backpacking community. 

Also on Speaking of Travel are Lisa Vann and Ben Krueger, owners of Huli Sue’s BBQ & Grill in Asheville, NC. They share how their long-time success with a restaurant in Hawaii keeps the spirit of Aloha alive and well in their lives. 

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 + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford of the Amazon Prime TV series, Leave No Trace, continues. Learn how to better prepare for traveling and find solutions to become a savvy traveler. 

Ricky talks about his latest travel experiences and shares his observations on what we can do to be smarter about traveling and how to get the most value out of this privilege we have again. And how to be more mindful and patient by having realistic expectations.

Today there are so many resources to help guide us to easily find travel info and help make better choices. Discover what you do to make sure everything goes smoothly.  Most importantly Ricky reminds us we must "take care of ourselves."

And find out where Ricky and his team are going next for Leave No Trace TV.  Season two is off to an awesome start! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Francois Lemay is a professional goalie instructor and a hockey ambassador who traveled to North Korea to coach their hockey teams. His book, "If I Ever Make It Back: Coaching Hockey In North Korea," captures some of his stories about spending time with local North Koreans no one talks about and its resilient, humble, shy and down-to-earth athletes. 

Also on Speaking of Travel is Chef Luis Martinez from Oaxaca, Mexico. Chef Luis shares how he combines his love for cooking with his passion for social justice.  

And Mark Bastin of Yonder Luxury Vacation Rentals explains 2021 vs 2022 trends and observations and shares some travel tips on how to make your journey less stressful. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Milenlli Araya Masis is a naturalist guide in the Manuel Antonio region. Born in Costa Rica, she provides education into the country’s biodiversity with a vast knowledge of conservation, wildlife and history. 

Costa Rica has 169 areas of conservation protecting 26% of the territory, with 5% of the biodiversity of the planet. 

Milenlly shares some of the projects helping create successful conservation efforts in Costa Rica, including the reforestation of mangrove ecosystems in the community of Puerto Nispero, and Jacanas, a team of girls involved in bird watching and programs of conservation and biophilia. 

Consistent exposure to natural elements through biophilic design supports longevity and ensures future generations maintain an affinity with nature so they grow up to be stewards of the wild places and diversity of animals making our planet exceptional. 

Discover how an education center in Manuel Antonio is helping guarantee sustainability and environmental education in the Pacific of Costa Rica by doing investigation, volunteer programs and responsible tourism. 

Also learn how a children's program is helping save the rain forest and the creation of a Marine conservation center for the reforestation of coral. 

Milenlly explains how the forest cover now stands at more than 53% after painstaking work to reverse decades of deforestation and how today around a quarter of the country's land has turned into protected parks and reserves. 

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.

Gandhi once said, “Though what you have to give may seem insignificant, it is very important that you give it.”

Tanya Weaver, Executive Director of the American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA), has helped families in some of the most underserved and marginalized communities in Africa. AFCA is a non-profit organization providing critical comprehensive services to infected and affected HIV+ children and their caregivers. Their programs are efficient and work successfully by promoting self-reliance and sustainability. 

Tanya shares how the organization helps the children in the programs become citizens of their country who are able to take care of themselves and know they have value. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Corey Costanzo, co-owner of Still Point Wellness, a destination wellness spa in Asheville, NC, offers some unique experiences to move you along your quest for well-being. Corey lived and worked at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur and shares why maintaining an optimal level of wellness is crucial to live a higher quality life. 

And Mark Collins, Partnerships Manager for RomanticAsheville.com, the online travel guide to Asheville and the Western North Carolina region, shares why delivering on a common purpose to create and develop new solutions helps empower people and organizations with the knowledge and resources they’ll need to reach their goals. 

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.

Nicole Smith, founder of Flytographer, a travel service that connects you with hand-picked local photographers in many destinations around the world, turned her side hustle into a multi-million dollar business.

Today, Nicole and her team have grown Flytographer into a multi-million dollar business that operates across six continents and was ranked as one of the fastest-growing startups. She is passionate about sharing her experiences openly to inspire other women entrepreneurs around the world. 

Nicole shares how she created her startup from idea to side hustle to over $25 million dollars in sales and how she had to turn her business around during Covid. When the pandemic hit, her sales instantly went to zero and she had to lay off 80% of the team. Nicole explains how she was able to come back and continue to grow a profitable, evergreen business. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, find out how Chow Chow, a culinary event in Asheville, NC, is pairing diverse community leaders with chefs to tell their own stories through food. 

And discover why being in a fantastic neighborhood in close proximity to historical landmarks is a win-win for your vacation experience. John Zellers, General Manager of the Elevation Lofts Hotel in downtown Asheville, NC, shares how this historic building, originally built over 100 years ago, is so special today.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Much of what happens around us or to us happens rather by chance. You may initiate actions, but what follows depends upon many factors. Sometimes situations arise on their own, such as an accident or a chance meeting. Or in the case of Maestro Murry Sidlin when he happened upon a book entitled Music in Terezín: 1941–1945.

And so began his journey to find out how Jewish prisoners at a World War II concentration camp staged 16 performances of Verdi's Requiem. The performances came to symbolize resistance and defiance and demonstrated the prisoners’ courage to confront the worst of mankind with the best of mankind. The remarkable story of how and why a group of overworked and underfed inmates sang the towering “Requiem” is told in the powerful concert-drama, “Defiant Requiem."

Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín was conceived and created by Maestro Murry Sidlin. It combines the magnificent music of Verdi with video testimony from survivors of the original Terezín chorus and footage from the 1944 propaganda film about Theresienstadt. 

"I'm merely a messenger of the people who were there. I'm telling their story. That's all it is. I'm in the service of their souls, their spirits." ~~Maestro Murry Sidlin. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Clark Lovelace, Executive Director for the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority in Western North Carolina, shares how sustainable and educational initiatives help improve healthy growth and protects natural resources. 

Despite the challenges over the past few years, Clark, his team, and members of the community continue to step up. Their tourism leaders understand the needs of locals and guests and want to help improve their quality of life by taking care of each other and the planet.

Clark explores current trends in travel and tourism and the impact to the region and how important it is to be focused on areas beyond simply bringing visitors to the county. Discover how the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority shifted from a destination marketing organization to a destination management organization in order to focus on sustainability, safety and infrastructure.

Also on Speaking of Travel, go behind the scenes with Tina Kinsey, Vice-President of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport and find out how great airports keep their priorities straight and focus on what matters to its passengers. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Traveling across the world as a solo female, Christy Teglo documents her unique experiences along the way. Christy shares what it's like traveling again after these past few years and how it feels to be in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and her nine-day hiking tour in Ecuador. 

And Christy talks about her love for long distance thru hiking. Her book, Weathered: Finding Strength on the John Muir Trail, is about her three-week backpacking trip in the California Sierra mountains and how this adventure allowed her time to reflect on the things she holds most important in her life. Discover where she went from there! 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Laura Sheets McCall, ED of Asheville’s Independent Restaurant Association (AIR), is an avid believer in giving back to the community and is leading local restaurants to grow the development of the industry with a commitment to collaboration and a focus on quality and efficiency.

And Justin Bellame, a travel industry leader and 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, shares current Covid travel considerations and the latest trending topics in the travel industry. 

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.

Chow Chow is a unique culinary event series in Asheville, NC, providing a platform to amplify voices working to sustain and strengthen its community and promote the culture and culinary scene.

Rebeca Lynch is the Executive Director of Chow Chow and has served alongside the passionate and committed volunteer board of directors. She supports the region’s community of creative makers, helping build community by bringing everyone together around the Southern Appalachian table. 

Jael Skeffington is co-founder & CEO of French Broad Chocolates and is a founding Board Member and Vice President of Chow Chow. She believes in using business as a force for good and is guided by a mission to source with integrity, craft with intention and build meaningful relationships with sustainable farmers.

Chef Steven Goff’s cuisine has been recognized by Food and Wine Magazine, Bon Appétit, Garden and Gun, The Local Palate, and other local publications. In 2019 he was named Chef of the Year by the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association and is currently the owner and chef at Tastee Diner and is on the Chow Chow Board.

They share how Chow Chow's focuses on involving community (and building community) within the event series and encourages connections to amplify a broad spectrum of voices working within Southern Appalachian foodways. 

Discover how equity and inclusivity in programming is building a model of a community- centered, equitable culinary event series that is also a joyous and fun celebration. 

 *photo by Stephan Pruitt

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 + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford continues. Richard is the host of the Amazon Prime TV series Leave No Trace. And today we have a special guest.

Dr. Rachel Dodds has over 20 years of international experience across a wide spectrum of the tourism industry, is the Director of “Sustaining Tourism,” a boutique consulting firm and is also an Associate Professor at Ryerson University in Canada where she joined the Ted Rogers School of Tourism & Hospitality Management in 2006.

Richard and Rachel understand sustainability means long term planning and management and that experience and understanding of diverse cultures and environments is a fundamental part of tourism. They share examples and tips on how to enjoy sustainable activities that don’t pollute or use energy and how to seek out local experiences.

Rachel's new book, Are We There Yet?: Traveling More Responsibly With Your Children, helps teach new responsibilities when traveling with your children and explores how it helps them to accept new roles through decision making and skill development. You can find Are We There Yet?: Traveling More Responsibly With Your Children, by visiting: store.bookbaby.com/book/are-we-there-yet1. A discount code for the e-pub is AX6DLWA and the discount code for the print edition is 563YVP

And, find out where Richard and his team are headed next. He shares his future travel adventures and where’s he headed for Leave No Trace TV season two. We're all in for a treat.

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.

Mark Chesnut is a New York-based travel writer and public speaker. He's the 2019 winner of the NLGJA Excellence in Travel Writing Award and the author of the new memoir "Prepare for Departure" (Vine Leaves Press, 2022), which explores, among other relatable topics, the transformative power of travel.

Mark shares some of his earliest travel memories and the role travel played in his childhood and adolescence. For Mark, traveling fosters a platform to build human connections by learning about culture, food and language and by discovering how people in other parts of the world live their lives just like us.  

Also on Speaking of Travel, travel influencer extraordinaire, Johnny Jet, shares why patience is an essential skill to have when we travel these days and how cultivating and practicing patience will help you experience any situation with grace. 

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.

For entrepreneur Becky Cannon, traveling and learning from different cultures is an integral part of providing healthy and practical products for the well-being and development of babies and families.

From an early age, Becky questioned her life’s purpose and wondered, “How can I contribute in a positive way to these overwhelming global challenges around me?” Fast forward 40 years and her marketing message has remained solid ~~ “Take care of your baby, Take care of your self and Take care of the environment.” Green Sprouts, Inc. continues to follow their company values: Intention, Curiosity, Integrity, Connection and Prosperity.

Becky's book, Grow Healthy. Grow Happy. The Whole Baby Guide, is a complete resource for parents to give their babies a healthy beginning. Congratulations Becky on leaving a beautiful, and important, legacy. 

Also on Speaking of Travel is Leslie Hartley, Director of Communications for The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area to share how this 25-county region works to preserve, protect, and sustainably develop the rich cultural and natural heritage of Western North Carolina and how you can experience it all. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Namrata Patel’s poignant and witty story, “The Candid Life of Meena Dave,” explores diaspora and dual-cultural identity among Indian Americans and why traveling helps to better understand what home really means.

Namrata explores why travel, patience and perseverance are valuable traits to cultivate and pushes you to keep trying. "There’s an old saying that goes, 'If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.' This captures the essence of perseverance. Even when things get hard – which they almost always do – perseverance pushes you to keep trying."

Also on Speaking of Travel, Jen Brooks of Romantic Asheville.com. provides a fall color forecast for the Blue Ridge Mountain region in Western North Carolina and shares how to celebrate one of the most beautiful times to travel.

And Tina Kinsey, Vice-president of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport fills us in on how the airport is dedicated to community engagement and how it supports the region with a fundamental focus on giving back.

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 + Leave No Trace series continues on location in Australia with Richard Crawford where he's busy working on Season Two of Leave No Trace TV. After a whirl-wind few months of travel, Ricky is in Australia with the show’s director and cameraman (and so much more), Ben Alcott. Listening to these two is a real treat! 

Ricky and Ben share how they’re witnessing a greener travel space emerge and how their views have changed over these last few years in relation to ecotourism and sustainability. 

They fondly share how they got interested in travel and sustainability and how the Amazon Prime television show, Leave No Trace, began. Discover some pretty cool places around this world where the destinations are making quiet change for their communities and the planet. 

And learn some practical tips for environmentally friendly travel that are easy to achieve.  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.

Peter Shankman has been called a rockstar. His magnetic personality is legendary. He's a 5x best-selling author, entrepreneur and corporate keynote speaker, focusing on customer service and the new and emerging customer and neurodiverse economy. 

His passion for helping people and companies makes him a worldwide connector known for creating radically new ways of looking at social media, marketing, PR and customer service. 

Peter shares why loyalty is the only thing that matters in travel anymore and offers some timely tips to help your travel experience be better and more beneficial to everyone around you. 

Want to find ways to add meaning and make your life worth living? Check out this sweet, candid conversation with Peter Shankman and learn some valuable lessons on how to be your authentic self and live a life of service and fun. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Annette Joseph lives half the year in La Fortezza, a medieval fortress in the countryside of northern Tuscany. She loves entertaining and offers creative retreats and workshops teaching styling, photography, painting and cooking. And did I mention shopping? 

Annette's book about the renovation journey of La Fortezza is covered in her book, "Italy is My Boyfriend." Her new book about the retreats she holds there, "My Italian Guestbook," is a fun-centric book about  life-changing experiences, crazy parties and great food. You feel like you're there and realize you really want to be there! 

If you ever dreamed of harvesting Italian grapes for wine, picnicking in olive groves, dining on local streets, painting al fresco, learning to cook like an Italian or enjoying movies under the stars, this is a must listen! 

Ciao Ciao! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Imagine turning your passion for adventure into a meaningful cause to help save the planet. Jasper Horsey shares why he and his three mates began Tuk South and spent the last of their savings on two Tuk-Tuks to travel the world and highlight the conservation of wild spaces and the people protecting them.

Discover why Jasper, Josh, Ivo and Robbie, four conservation-minded adventurers living in Kenya, decided to embark on a daring expedition to raise awareness and money for rangers on the frontline -- by driving from Kenya to Cape Town, and beyond, in Tuk Tuks. 

Jasper shares why the fab four decided to set out on this odyssey to raise awareness of  COVID’s effect on conservation and the importance of wildlife rangers, the heroes who help maintain the balance between communities and wildlife. 

With the conservation of some of the planet’s most important habitats and wildlife in danger of poaching, illegal logging and the exploitation of natural resources, raising funds for wildlife rangers was an obvious choice for Tuk South. Their story is about giving back and they are working alongside "For Rangers," a humanitarian charity and wildlife conservation organization. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Tina Kinsey at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares some fall air travel trends and what we can expect moving into the changing season.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Pelumi Nubi provides travelers of color advice, inspiration, and a way to explore the world as part of a community. She shares how traveling can be easy, safe, and doable, especially as a Black, solo female traveler. 

Pelumi migrated from Nigeria to the UK when she was just 10. Her early exposure to traveling ignited her love and curiosity for travel and she has visited over 70 countries. Her goal is to visit every single country in the world because she truly believes this fascinating planet deserves to be explored. Discover how you can travel with Pelumi and some important travel tips to ensure your journey is easy and safe.

Also on Speaking of Travel,  if you are looking for a home away from home when you travel, why not think about a bed and breakfast experience? Find out how Stephen Collins, along with his wife Robin, owners of The Applewood Manor Inn Bed & Breakfast in Asheville, NC, have created a relaxing place with a personal and family touch.  

And Jen Brooks, editor and social media manager of RomanticAsheville.com, the popular online travel guide to the mountains and foothills surrounding Asheville and Western North Carolina, shares how much there is to see and do in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains during fall and early winter.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Lance Henson is a member of the Cheyenne Nation of Oklahoma, a poet, cultural activist, and a teacher. His poems draw upon his Cheyenne heritage and he challenges perspectives through his writings and teachings. 

Lance's native upbringing and ceremonies are at the heart of his poetry and he frequently incorporates Cheyenne phrases and culture into his writings. He was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up near Calumet, Oklahoma, where his grandparents raised him in the traditions of the Cheyenne tribe.  

Lance shares how his early life led to the discovery of his inner voices and how difficult it was to  find other poets whose words spoke directly to his culture, visions and experiences. 

Through a lifetime of travel, he found community. “It was the poets outside of America that addressed issues I could comprehend — words and metaphoric responses to genocide, ethnocide and human resistance to inhumanity." 

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 + Leave No Trace Series with Ricky Crawford continues. Ricky is the host of the popular TV series Leave No Trace, and together we highlight the importance of conservation, sustainable travel and eco-tourism. 

Ricky shares what he's seeing as he travels the world and how destinations are making efforts to reduce their environmental impact and are committed to respecting the environment and their local communities. 

With current travel trends showing eco-travel and local experiences featuring travelers engaging authentically with the local culture, Ricky looks at why travelers are wanting authentic adventures to engage with the local experience and try to keep a smaller footprint when they’re traveling. 

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.

Mandy Lea and Kendrick Callaway are traveling in a Teardrop camper while running a business focused on photography and teaching, guided backpacking trips, and creating rallies for fellow Teardrop enthusiasts.

Such a sweet story too! Mandy and Kendrick were both already living on the road and working when they met and they share what it was like merging two tiny living spaces and lives. And now they've been together full-time on the road for 5 1/2 years.

So what's it like to live together in such a small space and run a business 24/7?  What really are the actual logistics of living in such a small space with two people?

Discover how great it is to really follow your dreams, and how challenging it can get when you're working hard to make those dreams come true.

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 + Gulf Coast Love Story series with Dayna Reggero of the Climate Listening Project is a platform to keep you informed on what’s happening in one of the most beautiful and vulnerable areas, The Gulf Coast.

The Climate Listening project is in the Gulf Coast region listening to artists and activists working together for Dayna's new film, The Gulf Coast Love Story. 

The Gulf is beautiful and rich with beaches and bayous. But there’s also cancer alley and dangerous oil rigs. Now there are 20+ LNG export terminals proposed along the Gulf Coast. These are huge liquid natural gas export facilities where all the pipelines bring the gas to the coast to ship it overseas with fossil fuel companies profiting billions. It’s dangerous.

Our special guest is Joshua Duttweiler of Corpus Christi, Texas. Joshua was selected for the collaborative Coastal Alliance to Protect our Environment (CAPE) artist activist grant to create community art for Corpus Christi / Coastal Bend activism in collaboration with groups like Texas Campaign for the Environment.

Joshua is a designer, artist, and educator. His multi-disciplinary practice encompasses personal, collaborative, and client-based projects focused on social justice and community building. 

Connect via GulfCoastMurals.com for more information. Support the Gulf Coast to help save this special and important place. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Melissa Reardon, editor-in-chief of WNC Magazine, the regional lifestyle publication that captures the wonder of one of the most beautiful places in the world, highlights some of the top ways to experience summer in the mountains and explores fun travel opportunities in Western North Carolina from Lake Toxaway to Boone to Blowing Rock. Melissa also offers up some great ideas to begin planning your fall leaf-peeping vacation.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Kenny Stockard grew up singing with his family at home, in church and traveling. Today he has a fresh take on traditional R&B, fusing elements of soul, neo soul and jazz with energetic harmonies, pure joy and hope.

Kenny’s love for music and his calling to be a musician began as a young child and he knew he wanted to use his voice to lift people’s hearts. "I sang all the time," he said.

You'll love the vibe and the mood he creates because Kenny’s joy is contagious. He shares the meaning behind his songs and how he makes each performance feel personal and truly unique. Kenny connects to each of us on a deeply spiritual, emotional and loving way. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, have you ever wondered how an airport plans for growth? They don’t have a crystal ball to forecast how many tickets will sell or how many people will come to town. But there are ways they plan for the future. Tina Kinsey at the Asheville Regional Airport shares how this airport is ready for continued expansion. 

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.

Jake Sasseville, co-founder of the Imiloa Institute, shares how to experience an awakening of consciousness through a variety of transformational retreats and group experiences in the jungle of Costa Rica. 

Jake has been on his own transformational journey and he shares his life challenges and describes his spiritual path and the spiritual markers along the way. Find out ways the unique culture of Imaloa helps you make progress in your own life. "This jungle has brought up so much for me. Imiloa is going to transform your life." 

Discover how Jake continues to clarify his vision and how he's learning to let go. If you are on a personal mission to become a better person, this episode of Speaking of Travel is a game-changer. 

And 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 Asheville Art Museum is opening its renovated and expanded building in summer 2019. Big changes are happening during their major expansion and renovation project in the heart of downtown Asheville, NC. When the Museum opens, you’ll see fresh approaches, additions to the Collection, exhibitions, educational programs, and so much more. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Richard Crawford, host of the acclaimed TV series, Leave No Trace, announces big news and shares how easy it is to watch the show and why he highlights the importance of conservation, sustainability and eco-tourism.

Ricky shares some big changes about Leave No Trace TV and the new network platform, binge.com, where you can easily watch all of season one. 

Find out where Ricky traveled to record season two and his latest trip to Costa Rica. And discover how to research a destination and accommodation to learn about environmental and social challenges and be more mindful of what to take part in, where to visit and where to spend your money. 

Also Ricky explains what's up next for Leave No Trace TV and what’s the most valuable thing he's learned after two seasons traveling to all these amazing places. And hear what are some common problems he's had along the way and how he found solutions. 

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.

We continue The Speaking of Travel + Gulf Coast Love Story series with Dayna Reggero of the Climate Listening Project to keep you informed on what’s happening in one of the most beautiful and vulnerable areas, The Gulf Coast. 

The Gulf is unlike anywhere else in the world. The people and environment combine to form a place with a rich culture tied to the ocean. The Gulf Coast Mural Project is a collaborative of Gulf Coast artists, activists, communities, and allies remembering and visioning.

Special guests to discuss the Lake Charles mural located at 1704 Broad Street in Lake Charles, LA, is Derrick Thornton and Shannon Denise DeJean, both selected as the Gulf Coast Murals project muralists for Lake Charles coordinator Tasha Guidry. 

The site of the mural was purposely selected for many reasons, one of which is it's located in the heart of the city on a major artery and secondly it's located on a street where many black owned businesses were located prior to Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Those businesses have not and are not rebuilding. 

The mural instills hope by paying homage to businesses or institutions that are no longer in Lake Charles either because of the storms or because of socioeconomic conditions that have plagued the black community causing them to close. 

The mural has united a community because of the images and what it represents and has accomplished something that is helping shape the natural heritage, culture, and economy of this region. 

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.

What do you remember most about the '70s? Many people certainly went through a lot of changes in the 70s, but not nearly as many as Amy Edelstein. Amy is a transformative educator, mediation teacher, founder of Inner Strength Education, co-founder of Emergence Education Press and the author of a number of books, including Adventure In Zanskar: A Young Woman’s Solitary Journey To Reach Physical And Metaphysical Heights.

Amy shares why she embarked on this solitary journey to reach physical and metaphysical heights and some of the most important things she learned while being there. And she explores how these early awakenings relate to her work establishing Inner Strength Foundation and bringing mindfulness and systems thinking tools to over 20,000 inner city high school students.

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.

Mark Wolters helps people help themselves when they are traveling so they can take charge of their own vacations. 

Mark shares his family's success as influencers and as our travel go-to resources. Mark is committed to telling it like it is. So, he does. Honest travel isn’t a catch phrase for Mark - it's a way of life for him and his family.

Mark's day job is as a Professor of Marketing (PhD) and he has worked, lived, studied, and taught in more than a dozen countries and traveled to many dozens more. His passion for teaching and helping others to see and experience the world is legendary.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Justin Bellame, founder of the JB Media Group and the publisher of Romantic Asheville.com, shares some guidance, knowledge, and insight on creative ideas to help push nonprofits forward.  

And if you're thinking of traveling by air anytime soon, remember it can sometimes be confusing so it's always a good idea to be prepared. Tina Kinsey, VP of Marketing, PR and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, fills us in on some important information to put your mind at rest so you can have your best trip ever! 

So dream big and tune in. There's a good chance he has videos from that place. Great advice! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Southern Scotland is a magical land and is on Lonely Planet’s list of top 30 places to travel in 2023. You can go visit with tour leader Tebbe Davis and Mark Nicol, a native of the Scottish Borders. 

Mark and Tebbe will be visiting sites taking guests back in time through the tumultuous history of the area from Roman and Viking invasions to the 400 year wars of Independence with England. 

They will also visit sites which allude to the areas with great spiritual heritage like Stone Circles, Iron Age hill forts and portals to the other world. Mark shares why trees are sacred to the people of Scotland and explains why in the South there are some fine examples of ancient historical and biologically fascinating trees, particularly the Yew tree, revered through history as magical beings with powers to give and take life.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Jen Brooks of RomanticAsheville.com, the most popular online travel guide to the mountains and foothills surrounding Asheville and Western North Carolina, gives us the scoop on why winter is one of the best seasons ever.

And Tina Kinsey at the Asheville Regional Airport shares some exciting news about their new Air Traffic Control Tower and what that means to the ever-growing regional airport. A great show and 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 + Gulf Coast Love Story series with Dayna Reggero of the Climate Listening Project is a platform to keep you informed on what’s happening in one of the most beautiful and vulnerable areas, The Gulf Coast. 

Joining Dayna is Ebony Stewart,  an elite performer, brilliant lyricist and award-winning playwright. Her newest collection, Bloodfresh, blends her understanding of craft with her keen ear for orality.

Ebony stars in Dayna's Climate Listening Project film project: Gulf Coast Love Story, where she is listening to artists and activists working together in the Gulf Coast. 

Bloodfresh is a celebration of identity and Ebony reclaims her own narrative to speak against the racism and colorism she's experienced, while criticizing society's treatment of women as sexual objects. This collection is an open letter to acknowledge, overcome, and learn new ways to use poetry as a coping technique. 

Cheers to Dayna and Ebony and all the people on the Gulf Coast for sharing their stories.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Corey Costanzo and Robin Fann of Still Point Wellness Spa, a destination wellness spa in Asheville, NC, provide effortless relaxation through a combination of world-class services designed to reconnect to your body’s wisdom.

Corey and Robin share what makes Still Point Wellness unique as a destination spa and how their special combination of top quality services—including Saltwater Floatation (sensory deprivation), Esalen® Massage, Cranial Sacral Therapy, and Somatic Experiencing—are designed to support personal development through deep relaxation and self exploration.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Mark Collins, Partnerships Manager for RomanticAsheville.com, the online travel guide to Asheville and the Western North Carolina region, looks back over this incredible year to acknowledge everyone who has worked so hard to be a big part of what makes Western North Carolina, and the travel and tourism industry over, so successful.

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 + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford continues. Richard is the host of the popular TV series Leave No Trace, now on Binge.com and other global platforms.

Ricky immerses himself into local cultures and understands what brings people together. Fresh from filming Season Two of Leave No Trace TV, Ricky shares how his trip to Costa Rica unfolded and how much he learned at Finca Casa Blanca, an inn and organic coffee farm. 

The people of Finca Rosa Blanca take sustainability and regeneration seriously, because as they say, “It’s the right thing to do.” Costa Rica is considered among the most progressive nations on Earth with respect to climate change.

Also, Ricky explains how we can research our favorite destinations to learn about environmental and social challenges and guide us to be more mindful of what we want to take part in, where to visit, and where to spend our money. 

And find out what’s next for Leave No Trace TV! Lots of big news and more ways to get connected to Ricky and the show.  

A must listen! Tune in 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.

Peggy Ratusz and Paula Hanke are on the road delighting audiences with their sensational act, “Love Is a Rose: Celebrating the Music of Torch Singer Linda Ronstadt,” featuring some of her best works. Peggy and Paula have been friends for over a decade and collaborated before, but their newest chapter is truly a project from the heart. “Love Is a Rose: Celebrating the Music of Torch Singer Linda Ronstadt,” is part of an ongoing project, the Women Who Make Music History Concert Series. Find out what led them to develop, produce and launch their brand and why they are simpatico as two women who own their own business and travel together. Although quite alike in many ways, they are different enough to benefit the partnership in just the right ways! A fabulous conversation!

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 + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford Continues.

Richard is the host of the popular TV series, Leave No Trace, and he highlights the importance of conservation, sustainable travel and ecotourism. 

Ecotourism has become increasingly popular over the past years with more and more people wanting to spend their vacations in natural environments without disturbing or damaging natural habitats. 

Ecotourism helps protect natural habitats and pristine environments and allows countries and communities to build their economies without harming the environment which means that local wildlife can thrive and visitors can enjoy untouched destinations. 

Ricky shares examples for reducing our carbon offset and discusses the relationship between nature and happiness. Discover how a personal connection to the living world not only has a positive influence on mental wellbeing, but also brings deeper meaning to your life.

There is also new news about Leave No Trace TV and what’s up next and Ricky tells us about all the new platforms available for watching. 

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.

Larry Bleiberg is a delightful, curious and imaginative travel writer who uses all his senses to engage his readers to feel the human experience. He is thoughtful and honest with a passion to inspire others to travel more.  

Larry is an eight-time Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award winner and was honored for editing the best newspaper travel section in the country. He served on a Pulitzer Prize team, is past president of the Society of American Travel Writers, and he writes for some of the top publications. 

Larry shares how he created his passion project, CivilRightsTravel.com, a travel guide to historic sites from the Civil Rights movement. And find out why traveling with a purpose today is more important than ever before. You won't want to miss this show!

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.

HATCH founder Yarrow Kraner is a pioneer of social networking and a creative alchemist with a long history of building communities.

Yarrow is a change maker and with his vision and HATCH community unites creative leaders for a better world through mentorship in creativity and innovation. Think of it as an ecosystem of transformative experiences helping to create a beautiful, sustainable, and just world.

Yarrow shares how his early memories of travel impacted his world view and how he incorporated travel into HATCH. He explains how creativity is a critical leadership skill in the new innovation economy. 

Growing up in Montana helped Yarrow imagine a bigger world. He said he would "think big and wonder what's on the other side of those horizons." 

Follow Yarrow as he tells his recent story of going down the Nile River with extraordinary people while hatching a better world for us all. Find out more about HATCH and the important work the organization is doing to help preserve and protect our planet and help people reach their full potential.  

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.

This year marks a milestone for Speaking of Travel... 10 years! And more good news... While people are totally wired to visuals, the podcast industry just continues to grow over the years. 

Adam Stoker, President and CEO of Relic, host of the Destination Marketing Podcast, and founder of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network, explains how to use the destination’s resources to plan your trip. 

Adam recounts his backstory and why owned media is so important in tourism today. And find out some of Adam's favorite destination podcasts. 

Also on Speaking of Travel is Kevan Frazier, one of the co-owners of Well Played Board Game Café in Asheville's South Slope, to share why playing games just leaves you happy and why playing board games is a thing!

And Tina Kinsey at the Asheville Regional Airport shares how airports prepare and keep you safe during the winter months and offers up some tips to make sure your flying experience is awesome.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

With long-lasting traditions of winemaking, culinary delights, awe-inspiring landscapes, and certified organic wineries, Tuscany is a shining star.

Mary Shea is the Director of Marketing and Hospitality at the organic winery and agriturismo, Querceto di Castellina, in the Tuscan region of Chianti. 

Mary shares how this handcrafted, sustainable winery began in 1998 and how they are intensely focused on the art of great Italian winemaking and equally passionate about the Earth. From the process of pruning vines to the selection of grapes, today all the wines are certified organic. 

And she explains why hospitality is so important at Querceto. With a heartfelt goal to  make their guests feel relaxed, renewed and reconnected, Mary shares why providing an exceptional guest experience is paramount. 

Also on Speaking of Travel is Clark Lovelace, Executive Director of Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority in Western North Carolina, to share why this region in the Blue Ridge Mountains is so rich in nature and what they are doing to preserve and protect it. 

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 + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford, host of the popular TV series, Leave No Trace, continues.

Ricky shares some exciting upcoming news on a huge adventure he's embarking on that will push his boundaries and even take him out of his comfort zone. He's off to Antarctica, a bucket list destination!

Discover how Ricky stays inspired to put his dreams and plans into action leading to this amazing journey. And find out how Antarctica is more than just a sprawling white landmass and how it plays a vital role in supporting life around the world.

Also, Ricky answers your questions about sustainability, global warming, and what lessons we can learn from nature. And he has some helpful tips for you on how to create sustainable solutions right in your own backyard.

A must listen! And be sure to watch Season One of Leave No Trace TV on BingeNetworks.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Spanish-born Jambo Naphula is a traveling artist and troubadour who goes around the world performing and making music and art to make people happy.  

Jambo shares why his love of travel and performing brings him much joy and why his belief that travel facilitates understanding between people of different racial, cultural or national origin promotes world-peace. 

Discover why Jambo is passionate about promoting inclusiveness, the values of a culture of tolerance, peace and non-violence.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Jen Brooks of RomanticAsheville.com, the popular online travel guide to the mountains and foothills surrounding Asheville and Western North Carolina, shares why your winter-destination vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains with cozy accommodations, mouthwatering restaurants, and breathtaking scenery, is a must!

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.

Dee Flower made her dreams come true over her life. Her book, "Where The Wind Wills," tells her story of visiting over 40 countries on six continents and embracing cultural differences while seeing all humanity as one tribe.

Dee shares why it's never too late to live the life you have dreamed about and how patience is the solid force necessary for waiting for the opportunities to show up for you to grab them.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Kaye Bentley, founder of Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours, has a passion for her town and its history. And bringing people together. Find out why taking a tour provides the opportunity to learn about the destination and the culture.

Tune in to these wonderful conversations! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Continuing the Speaking of Travel + Climate Listening Project Series with Dayna Reggero and special guest, Sara Day Evans, the founding director of Accelerating Appalachia. Accelerating Appalachia is the world’s first nature-based business accelerator, connecting innovative businesses, investors and mentors aligned with people, place and prosperity. Find out how they are creating a new regenerative economy to improve soil, retain water, sequester carbon, and help communities by accelerating nature-based entrepreneurs where mining, logging, textile and tobacco/farming industries are on the decline. Accelerating Appalachia supports a regenerative economy, sustaining good jobs and keeping thousands of sustainable farmers on the land. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Michael Juergens is a courageous serial entrepreneur and certified sommelier. As the founder of the Bhutan Wine Company, he is leading the development of the wine industry in the magical Himalayan country.

Michael is an adventure race addict who optimized the runners mindset in all areas of his life. He's a sought-after speaker and author and owns the award-winning SoCal Rum company. 

Add to this he's a professor at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of CA, Irvine. And remember, he invented the wine industry in the Kingdom of Bhutan. Discover how he defies a comfort zone and looks for adventure whenever, and wherever, he can.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Mark Robertson, founder of the destination elopement and micro wedding company, Simple I Do's, shares how his company was founded to bring people together for their special day.

And Tina Kinsey from the Asheville Regional Airport shares some groundbreaking news on how the investments for their future are in motion today. Stay tuned! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Don Bunnell is a serial entrepreneur passionate about the environment and he is the founder of Swank Guide, a travel platform that helps people uncover exotic destinations, unique lodging, and insider activities.

Don shares how and why he created Swank Guide and how his background in travel, the environment, energy policy, design, and architecture brought him to the intersection of all those things to create a platform to help others have their best travel adventure.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Justin Bellame, 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, shares why his deep commitment to the future of sustainable travel is the foundation for his businesses model and how B-Corp companies are benefiting people and the planet.

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.

Noted motorcycle journalist Neale Bayly had two goals when he went off to Ukraine to bring attention to what journalists are experiencing in this war-torn country and to give victims of the war in Ukraine the chance to tell their stories. He hoped to somehow ease their burden by providing an opportunity to tell their stories.

Neale recently returned from a three-week, 6,600-km (approx. 4,100 miles) motorcycle trip across Europe and into war-torn Ukraine under the constant threat of Russian rockets and bombs. He describes Ukraine as a “beautiful country with incredible people standing resiliently against a brutal regime intent on their destruction.” 

Neale shares his thoughts and feelings of what he saw while riding his BMW GS motorcycle and how this humanitarian adventure in Ukraine reignited his purpose. "My purpose is very simple," he said. "My goal is to help and bring attention to the underserved. I just want to do more good.” 

Please do not miss this incredible story and find out how you can help the people of Ukraine today. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Vincenzo Lodato is a true Renaissance gentleman and skilled at all things he attempts to do. Vincenzo has wide-ranging knowledge in many fields and loves life. 

Now living in Florence, Italy, Vincenzo shares why being a huge dreamer and putting yourself out there, past your comfort zone, is the best way to live life to the fullest. 

And Vincenzo provides hands-on tips for even considering a move to Italy. His straight-forward observations will save you much time if living in Italy is on your bucket-list. 

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 + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford, host of the popular TV series, Leave No Trace TV, highlights the importance of conservation, sustainable travel and eco-tourism, and provides tips on how to travel mindfully and why it's important to just say YES!

There is no other destination on the planet more incredible, overwhelming or epic as Antarctica. Ricky and his producer and cameraman, Ben Alcott, recently traveled to Antartica with White Desert Antarctica, a pioneering luxury experience, and are here to tell us all about it!

Ricky and Ben share what was it like to be there... the cold, adventure, history, remoteness, and other worldly vibe, coupled with science, icebergs, and the deep, deep silence.

Discover how this experience created the most adrenalin-fueled adventure, changing their lives forever. And how the magic they felt there can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

There are some people who will push themselves to the limit, leading them to accomplish feats we couldn’t even imagine while in the leading role of our wildest dreams.

A must listen! And stay tuned for the upcoming Part Two of Ricky Crawford and Ben Alcott's Amazing Adventure To Antartica only on Speaking of Travel.

Watch season one of Leave No Trace TV here.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Nancy Stohlman is a flash fiction writer, a performer, and a professor. She holds workshops and retreats around the world to help you learn about yourself as a writer and a person.

Nancy provides professional and aspiring writers the gift of time, a new community, instruction, and the opportunity to reconnect with your own imagination and sense of possibility so you can confidently bring the work inside you to fruition.

Nancy shares how her workshops, always held in inspiring locations, provide the perfect backdrop for focusing on your writing practice with like-minded short fiction writers. "The world demands more substance and less filler. Flash fiction is all meat and no fat," said Nancy.

Find out how travel inspired her newest book, After the Rapture, a socio-satirical flash novel set in a post-Rapture landscape. A must read!

Also on Speaking of Travel, discover why traveling with your family will build life life-long memories and break you all away from the same old-same old routine. Stephanie Carson, who lives a life full of adventure, sometimes pushing the limits on heart-stopping adventures with her own family, works full-time and is still living the dream!

Tune in!

Photo credits include Laura Alexander and Lizzie Woofenden, and Kathy Fish.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

If you love being out in nature enjoying beautiful, breathtaking views, you’ll love cycling. Cyclists are generally a friendly group of people and riding bikes can be an excellent way to make new friends and create community. 

Rob Dull is an avid cyclist and the principal planner at Find The Line Studios based out of Asheville, NC. Rob heads up the firm's master planning efforts around community development and outdoor recreation projects. 

Rob shares why community is important to our overall wellbeing and how leveraging natural assets with a healthy lifestyle around cycling is a win-win for everyone. 

Discover how Rob's new project in Costa Rica, Buen Camino Bike Park, is becoming the model for creating community around the great outdoors. The mountain bike park offers trails of all experience levels in a lush, tropical mountain forest in the central valley of Costa Rica. 

Rob explores how social interactions and building friendships are more meaningful when progressing through physical challenges (and even an element of danger) together.

Find out how physical movement, along with a rush of adrenaline, will help you survive real challenges and how mountain biking allows you to push your comfort level to places you might not otherwise go.

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.

What do you do when a friend asks you to pack your things and take a trip ASAP? For Terri Lynn Queen, you just say YES! Find out how a quick, spontaneous trip to Las Vegas became a most memorable adventure. 

Terri Lynn is a regional/national media consultant with iHeart Media (for 33 years!) who loves to travel. She shares stories of how traveling with her children when they were young created a special bond on the long road trips with her dad, allowing them to all develop a wandering spirit. 

Find out how saying yes to traveling spontaneously with friends is sometimes the best fun of all. Terri Lynn shares some travel tips to make your adventure run as smoothly as possible and even save you money! 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Jen Brooks of RomanticAsheville.com, provides some top picks for everything Spring in and around North Carolina's beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. 

And Tina Kinsey, VP of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares how the airport is positioning itself as a catalyst for economic regeneration and growth.

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.

Richard Crawford, host of the popular TV show, Leave No Trace TV, and his producer/cameraman, Ben Alcott, recently went to Antarctica to experience the incredible beauty and solitude as polar explorers. 

When the two returned from White Desert Antarctica's Echo camp, a pioneering luxury experience, their lives were changed. In episode one of their Great Antarctica Adventure, heard only on Speaking of Travel, Ricky and Ben shared how the out-of-this-world location and the magic they felt really can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

Because there is no other destination on the planet more incredible, overwhelming or epic as Antarctica, one episode to unpack their experience just wasn't enough. Continuing the conversation about the most adrenalin-fueled adventure ever, Ricky and Ben are joined by special guest Patrick Woodhead, co-founder of Antarctica’s only luxury adventure camp, White Desert Antarctica.

Patrick shares how he set about to show the wonders of the interior of Antarctica to people other than scientists and polar explorers, elevating Arctic exploration to a level never seen before.

We all love a good story about extraordinary places and extraordinary adventures. Put your headphones on and listen to this special edition of the Speaking of Travel + Leave No Trace TV Series with today's modern explorers, Richard Crawford, Ben Alcott and Patrick Woodhead. 

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.

Jovelle Fernandez knows how it feels to be a fish out of water having navigated through various constraints because of being alienated. She helps us learn and understand about being away from our comfort zones.

Jovelle's story includes the unique experiences of a former woman expatriate and the challenges of living and working as a foreigner in academia, in a male-dominated society, and in the corporate world while juggling the demands of work and family as a wife and mother.

She shares stories from her new book, The Expat, that are funny, unbelievable, mind-boggling, and shocking, and she helps provide insight into navigating through constraints because of being alienated, even in your own country. 

Tune in to explore more about why it's important to prioritize what matters most, to continue to define yourself, and to let go.

Also on Speaking of Travel is Nicole Foti of Sandy Bee Mine Honey Company, a family owned and operated venture in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, to share why bees are at the heart of why we love honey and all the benefits we gain thanks to our friends the bees!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Explore one of Western North Carolina’s most iconic places with Mary Jaeger-Gale, General Manager at Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park. The Park features six hiking trails, an Animal Discovery Den, rock climbing with instructors, monthly guided hikes and more. Special moments you'll cherish await you here. Visit Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park once, and you’ll want to come back for more. An annual pass provides you unlimited visits to the Park for a year, exclusive events and special deals at the Park’s shops and restaurants. And you get discounts at other area attractions, too. Visit chimneyrockpark.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.

Author, musician, speaker and sailor Chris DiCroce and wife Melody sold their house and almost everything they owned to move onto a sailboat and discovered the greatest triumphs often came from their greatest challenges. 

Tired of the lives they were living, Chris and Melody, along with their dog Jet, took a leap of faith in their attempt to break away and were brought face to face with the reality that things don't always go as planned, and how, sometimes, that's the best plan.

In what was supposed to be a one year experiment is now seven years later. Discover how the dream evolved and how they keep it going today.    
 
www.mondovacilando.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.

Australian born singer-songwriter and touring musician with the Smashing Pumpkins, Katie Cole, shares how her emotional honesty comes from a place of determination and persistence. 

Katie is releasing her new EP, “Rivers & Roads," a love project created during the pandemic and will launch the final single along with a music video. 

In 2022, Katie did a 32-date tour with the Smashing Pumpkins and supported by Janes Addiction. She shares the excitement of playing Madison Square Garden and a sold-out performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Her grounded confidence and years of hard work are shining! 

Katie's music is dreamy and seductive. She said, "I just want to make music that makes me excited and proud, and if I'm being truthful in it that will make me really happy. If I’m not doing that, with everything I’ve sacrificed, what would be the point?”

A must listen! 

Also on Speaking of Travel is naturalist and nature photographer, Sharon Mammoser. Sharon loves the night sky and shares how we can appreciate the darkness and help reduce artificial lighting. 

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.

Pico Iyer helps bring an understanding of cultural differences to all of us by interacting with people whose culture, experiences, or worldview might differ from his own. 

For over four decades, he’s written 16 books, translated into 23 languages, on subjects ranging from the Dalai Lama to globalism, from the Cuban Revolution to Islamic mysticism. For Pico, travel is a professional devotion as much as a spiritual one. 

Pico shares how he discovered wonder and beauty right in his own backyard and why a physical location is not so important as long as you live life as a good human being. He shares how he came to realize why home lies in the things you carry with you vs the ones that tie you down.

Travel is a key theme in most of Pico's works. He tries to see within a society or way of life from an outsider's perspective. Pico shares his thoughts and curiosity about the bigger world to help us rethink assumptions and to be mindful about new ideas and insights. 

Oh, and there's ping-pong too. 

A special conversation with Pico Iyer. “A person susceptible to "wanderlust" is not so much addicted to movement as committed to transformation.” Thank you Pico! 

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.

Mark Gordon Smith, founder of Private Italy Tours, shares why travelers fall in love with Italy and why people keep going back to visit. 

Today Italy is reaping the benefits of travelers wanting to explore this beautiful country. Mark explains the state of travel in Italy today and why unique places like Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria are gaining more attention.

With an increased demand in travel to Italy, Mark is not only leading tours to these wonderful locations off the beaten path, he's also focusing on itinerary planning services to provide a more exclusive option to explore Italy on your own.

Mark loves to share experiences with the Italian culture so he creates the most perfect, relaxing experiences. Imagine being in Italy in your own villa with visits to small, family-owned wineries and interactive cooking classes. 

And to get you in the mood for Italy, Mark shares how he puts into words his own memories, now an Italian Trilogy, all providing a uniquely personal look into the beauty of Italy.

Discover how Mark can help you plan your perfect trip to this special travel destination.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Tina Kinsey, Vice-president of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares how airports are constantly looking at expanding as travel volumes continue to exceed pre-pandemic levels. Find out what future planning looks like when the future is catching up with us.

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.

Thea Duncan, founder of Doing Italy, shares insights into moving to Italy. Find out what it is like to live in Italy and what to consider when moving there. 

Doing Italy offers private consultations and group coaching so you can dive into just about everything you need to know about moving to Italy. 

Thea shares insights into the Italian job market and what you need to know about real estate if considering buying an Italian home. Discover what it is actually like living in Italy vs visiting and some of the the first things you should consider when relocating to Italy. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Whitney Williams, founder of TEFLPros, a high-quality online certification, shares all you need to know about how to teach English as a foreign language. 

If you are passionate to experience another culture, or perhaps you just love to travel and enjoy helping others realize their dreams, maybe consider becoming an English teacher in a foreign country. Find out all you need to know right here 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.

A professional stand-up comedian, a TV host, an actor and a podcast host walk into a bar. And what do you know? It’s Mike Siegel himself. Mike’s main passion is travel. He has produced video and written travel content for countless websites and hosts his own travel-themed podcast, “Travel Tales Podcast.” Mike shares his personal travel history and some of his favorite places.

And not all of his travel experiences are great. Some are low and some are bad. Find out some tips to prepare you for the adventure ahead (spoiler... laughing works!). Mike lets us in on some travel hacking and money-saving tips too and describes what the future of travel, tourism, blogging and social media could look like.

What is travel to Mike Siegel? You won't want to miss this special episode of 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.

Heidi Walters, Senior Director of Partner Marketing for Visit North Carolina, shares how the state is championing sustainable travel by working together to preserve the natural beauty of North Carolina.

Thousands of people flock to North Carolina every year from all over the country and the world because there are so many reasons to love this state. Heidi provides an update on the tourism recovery green initiatives and how markets are emerging to grow the industry. 

She also shares how sustainability and stewardship help to protect North Carolina's outdoor spaces and how international travel to the state remains strong and steady.

Also on Speaking of Travel, discover how writer, counselor, authenticity and intuition guide, Beth Orr, found the courage to move forward on her own journey when her grandmother inspired her to travel the world to search for her most authentic life.

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Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Vic Isley, a traveler, foodie, music lover and a farmer’s daughter from North Carolina, shares her journey from growing up on a tobacco farm to becoming a leader in the travel and tourism industry. 

Over her 28-year career, she’s represented destinations including the island of Bermuda; Washington, DC; Tampa Bay, Florida and Durham, North Carolina.  

Seasoned leaders bring benefits to their team and the entire organization. Vic shares a timeline of the evolution of destination marketing and destination management and explains the role of a destination marketing organization. 

Also on Speaking of Travel, Mary Rose Ridderbusch-Shearer, guest experience manager for the North Carolina Arboretum, the most stunning and peaceful place to enjoy Western North Carolina's beautiful surrounding natural environment, shares a history of the Arboretum and a sampling of the many incredible programs and exhibits. There's no better place to meet friends and explore for hours. Find out more! 

Tune in right here 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.