Hello :)

Back in June 2025 I travelled to the Caribbean for the first time, along with my regular travel companion Laura. Now, one might ask, why is a non-swimming easily-bored less-than-aesthetic enby with Celtic skin (and all the sun resistance *that* doesn't entail) spending two weeks in the Caribbean? Wasn't four days in Maldives enough to satisfy the tropical beach itch?

Well, apparently not.

Apart from getting to 100 Countries in 50 Years, we were interested to see if it were even possible to travel independently, slowly, and locally, through the region they way most holidaymakers don't. Because we're trend-setters, and on a budget. Just like we attempted in Maldives, but with more islands and more countries involved.

As it turns out, I had a lot to talk about so this trip is spread over two consecutive podcast episodes. Otherwise you'd be listening to me talk for two hours. If that's what you want me to do, hire me, damnit!

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Laura is leaving me!
* Upcoming London trips
* Dominica is green and full of hills
* Roseau is not very big
* Walking and visiting another sulphur spring
* Barbados Airport Is Lacking One Key Feature And It Surprised Me
* A quite touristy end to the trip
* Impressions of all the islands
* Can you visit the Caribbean on a budget?

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topics, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Back in June 2025 I travelled to the Caribbean for the first time, along with my regular travel companion Laura. Now, one might ask, why is a non-swimming easily-bored less-than-aesthetic enby with Celtic skin (and all the sun resistance *that* doesn't entail) spending two weeks in the Caribbean? Wasn't four days in Maldives enough to satisfy the tropical beach itch?

Well, apparently not.

Apart from getting to 100 Countries in 50 Years, we were interested to see if it were even possible to travel independently, slowly, and locally, through the region they way most holidaymakers don't. Because we're trend-setters, and on a budget. Just like we attempted in Maldives, but with more islands and more countries involved.

As it turns out, I had a lot to talk about so this trip is spread over two consecutive podcast episodes. Otherwise you'd be listening to me talk for two hours. If that's what you want me to do, hire me, damnit!

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* It's getting dark
* Why did we choose the Caribbean
* Issues with inter-island travel
* An underwhelming arrival in Saint Lucia
* Fort Vieux and Laborie
* Three days in Soufriere - beaches and sulphur springs
* Castries isn't a pretty city
* Two very dour days in Martinique 

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topics, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

This episode details the second half of my 2-week backpacking trip around South America in October 2024 - this one covers Iguzau Falls and Paraguay. Because everyone wants to go to Paraguay.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Admin caused by a lost phone
* The Jesuit Ruins of Argentina and Paraguay
* The German influence of SE Paraguay
* Iguazu Falls (both sides)
* Ciudad del Este and the absence of the Brazil border
* Asunción is interesting (derog.)

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this podcast, and the intro noise is the sound of the Devil's Throat (Argentina Side) at Iguazu Falls.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

So, it's April 2020, and all those plans you had for this year, all those places you were going to travel to, all those experiences ... but yeh, we still have hope, right?

This episode takes a look at travel hopes, at what we think the future of travel will be, and where we hope to go once all this is over.

[I also have a slight rant about yoga, but humour me!]

I make a reference to Jess (The Crown Wings) blog post about travel writing during the virus during the pod, so there's your link.

Contributions this time are from:

• Riana at 'Teaspoon Of Adventure'


• Lucy from 'Absolutely Lucy'


• Ken of 'Traveling With A Chair'


• Kate-Frankie from 'This Could Lead To Anywhere'


• Nat from 'NatPacker Travel'

Bonus content!

As you may recall, a few episodes ago I had a long chat with Alexei, from Travelexx about, well, primarily luggage, but we ventured onto many different subjects, one of which was sport - hence my previous regular episode. However, that episode ended up being more about travelling for sport, rather than about sports in general, so none of the content crossed over.

I thought it might be cool to publish the sport content of our chat in a special bonus episode anyway, as it provides a bit of background and context to some of the things I ended up talking about in the regular episode.

Plus, Alexei, and he's cool. :)

While virus protection is keeping a large proportion of the world's population indoors and isolated, I thought it would be good to have an episode looking at a subject noted for community, good vibes, and exercise - sport.

I talk about a recent run I had where I got queried by police (but not for being outside!), then about places I've gone to to watch sports around the world, including football/soccer, ice-hockey, AFL, and Buzkashi.

Contributions are provided by Txiki Stu, Jason Likes To Travel, Teaspoon Of Adventure, and [including crowd noises] Where's Shelly.

I wasn't sure quite what to record for this episode of the podcast, due to the changing situation in the world, so I pretty much sat in front of a blank screen and did a brain-dump, taking a couple of Twitter conversations I've had this week as an initial basis, and then expanding it with a few thoughts as I've gone on.

I talk about three things really - the city of Sheffield, my mother, and my privilege in the face of a global pandemic. I'm hopeful that my next episode will; be a bit more cheerful...

Following on from my previous episode on my own experiences of social anxiety and mental health, in this episode I let some of my Twitter followers and online friends talk about their experiences of mental health while travelling - how they mitigate for it, what helps them cope better, etc.

I hope it helps you in some way, to know that if you have similar issues, you're not alone, far from it.

In a change from the previously advertised programme ... I was having a bit of a wobble in the previous week so I felt it would be a great time to discuss a couple of aspects of mental health, and how they affect me when I'm travelling.

In this podcast episode then, I talk a bit about how I seem to have a form of social anxiety, what that means when I'm abroad, and what, if anything, I can do about it. I also go into some detail about other flavours of mental health, including a fear of failure, and tell how sometimes even I've had to give up and go home when my adventures just haven't felt right in my head.

It's quite a 'raw' post, and it isn't as precisely curated as my usual episodes, but somehow I think that's quite fitting.

I've been acutely aware for a while that most of my podcast is me talking, despite my inclusion of contributions as vox-pops, so I've always fancied doing a bit of an experiment. Many other podcasts are either interview-based or are two or three people chatting amongst each other, and I wondered if I ought to try out the same style for an episode to see if it worked. The opportunity arose in casual conversation with my friend Alexei, from https://travelexx.com, so here we go.

Following on from my last episode about Luggage, me and Alexei have a bit of a natter in more detail about what each of us finds important in travel luggage and what we pack. Many tangents ensued, only some of which made the final cut ...

What you take with you when you travel? Do you take just a carry-on bag? Or do you haul yourself through an airport with luggage galore?

In this episode I talk about the fact I usually only ever travel with carry-on/hand luggage, and the advantages and disadvantages (or, rather, 'compromises') I face by doing so.

There are, of course, some contributions from my friends who may or may not share my travel style ... :p

As per my previous episode, this is the second of two broadcasts about West Africa. This one is more about you though - the bulk of the episode is three contributions from some of my Twitter friends who have also been around the region, and they've given me their observations and thoughts.

Their experiences were also generally different from mine - one person studied there for a year, while another drove through the whole region in a highly-unsuitable car.

West Africa. It's not a region that is high on the list of many backpackers, and I think that's a real shame as there's so much here of interest.

I've recently been posting blog posts and written a travelogue about the adventures I had in the region a few years back, so it made perfect sense to do a podcast on it too.

This is the first of two episodes about the region though, as when I was writing it I realised I had so much to talk about, plus of course contributions from other travellers to the region, that I felt I'd be better off splitting it out. So, in the follow-up episode next time, I'll talk about a couple of specifics before handing the pod over to my friends and followers who have recorded their experiences for me.

In this episode though it's pretty much entirely me (sorry!) and I talk a bit about travel, accommodation, food, scenery, and religion.

Hello :)

This episode details the first half of my 2-week backpacking trip around South America in October 2024 - this one covers Uruguay and Buenos Aires. The rest of the trip will follow in my next episode. My voice doesn't really sound that great today, and I'm not quite sure why.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* I went to Chester to meet my mother!
* Why did I go to South America?
* First impressions of Montevideo
* The old town, the promenade, and the street market
* My accommodation in Montevideo
* Uruguayan cash flow issues
* Colonia del Sacramento
* San Telmo and the pub that trolls
* The Parisian aesthetic of Buenos Aires
* How aroace dyspraxics get to dance the Tango

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this podcast, but the intro was recorded by someone called Dorhel in San Telmo market, and posted to FreeSound.org. I don't have any recordings of Tango. Listen to the pod to find out why!

Also, in case you're interested. here's Sasha Cagen's website and Tango discussions.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

This is the second of a two-part discussion on borders; the first, in the previous episode, centred on experiences of crossing borders, whereas this pod talks more about borders in general, about how some borders don't really exist, and about what borders mean to the people on the wrong side of them.

It's quite a political, opinionated, and forthright episode with not as much of the humour as previous episodes, but the subject matter is a bit too important to pass over lightly.

There is an extended contribution by my friend Laura Lundahl on her experience of what borders mean to her, and looking at them from the point of view of an immigrant.

If you travel, the chances are you'll cross a border at some point, even if it's just as simple as going from one local authority area to another. Yet borders are important and significant lines on the map, and even the smallest can be notable.

Borders have always fascinated me, as they're at 'the edge', so everything beyond them can be seen as 'new', and 'shiny'. In this podcast, I talk about my experiences of crossing borders, along with a few of my online friends, and how each border is different and even the crossing of the same border can feel very different to different people.

This is the first in a two-part discussion on borders - the next pod is about the political aspects of borders, how some of them came about, how people feel about them, and what they mean for the people who try to cross them.

As you may know, I've been away much of the summer, walking across Great Britain with my hiking buddy Becky the Traveller.

This episode of my podcast gives an overview of the hike, including:
* preparations
* gear
* routing
* how the hike went
* things that went wrong
* the countryside we passed through
* feelings after I finished, the 'what now's.

It's an unusual episode, as there's no input from other people, but if you have any comments or questions, let me know and I can put them in the next episode.

Most of the travel I do is solo, and this episode looks at why; from my own personal preferences to travelling alone, to the logistical advantages and problems of doing so.  I do talk about my experiences of travelling with others, both in group environments and travelling with friends.

The pod comes off the back of a recent two week trip around Philippines (a country I said in Episode 003 that I'd probably never go to!) with my good friend Laura, from Tumbleweed Chronicles, so I talk a bit about how it felt to travel there with her.

I also, in my 'lesser known destination of the week' segment, talk about another place I've visited solo recently, the town of Sylhet, in Bangladesh: Tea, curry, and selfies.

Another of my destination-specific podcasts this week - although it starts with a quick 7min overview of Lebanon as that's where I was when I wrote most of it ...

This episode looks at Uzbekistan; mainly around the practicalities of the country - food, transport, accommodation etc, rather than specific details of tourist attractions. I visited in 2014, and found it really interesting, but I also have input from three other people who've been there more recently than I have (Amy from The Non Backpacker, Laura & Matt from Two Stay Wild, and Sophie from Maximum Exposure) and they offer their own unique perspectives on the country.

It's very much a place in the tourist media's eye this year so I expect a tourist boom to really take off in 2019 - just remember, we went first! :)

The first "Special Episode" of my podcast, where I read one of my travel-related fiction short stories, based on the topic of "Inheritance".

Sexuality is a broad spectrum, but not every country in the world appreciates or accepts this. In this episode I talk about my own sexuality (or indeed, lack of it), and how it affects me when I travel. You'll also hear from a few other people on their experiences on travelling as an alternative sexuality.

Exploring "The Great Outdoors" is a wonderful experience for me, especially hiking through the countryside. In this episode I'll discuss what it means to me, and how "Saying Yes More" to my inner feelings has inspired me to take on a pretty intense hiking challenge.

While on my recent trip around the Southern Hemisphere, I spent almost four weeks travelling around the islands of Vanuatu. It's not a country that many people outside Oceania know much about, so I wanted to give an overview and flavour of the country and relate my experiences there. It's definitely a country 'beyond the brochure'.

I've just had an 11-week trip around Oceania & Sri Lanka, and arriving back in the UK has sent my mood a little low. I guess it's a form of Reverse Culture Shock, where being back in your everyday life comes as a jarring jolt after being used to the travel lifestyle. I've used my pod this week to talk about these feelings, how they affect me, and what I'm doing to mitigate them. Timely, perhaps, for #WorldMentalHealthDay.

Hello :)

This episode is about Luxury Travel. This isn't a topic that comes naturally to barefoot backpackers in general, but sometimes even we put on our metaphorical shoes and drink free champagne.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Running Training & Rate of Percieved Exertion
* Future potential backpacking trips
* What it means to be a 'barefoot' backpacker
* Flying business class on Air Europa from South America
* Short-haul business class travel isn't really worth it
* Flying business class on Emirates from Sri Lanka is
* We need a middle ground option - like a train
* First Class on UK Trains is nothing special
* Eurostar is nice I suppose
* Business hotels
* Afternoon Tea, but not yet at the Ritz
* {bonus} Helicopter Rides over a volcano - the ultimate luxury experience

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Contributions in this episode come from Kate-Frankie, Amanda Kendle, and Curious Claire.
In addition, my VA, Victoria Pearson, can be found here.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Many travellers talk about having a "Bucket List", a list of places to see and things to do before they die. In this pod I talk a bit about the concept, then go into some details about my version - the 'anti-bucket list' of places I actively don't see myself visiting. I must stress this is my own opinion, and of course your mileage will vary.

"Everywhere is Interesting": a mantra that makes you take a different look at the places you visit, making even those areas close to your home that you may not have given a second thought ripe for exploration and discovery. In this pod I encourage you to step outside your house and see what's around your local town, and do the same myself, giving you some information about the places I live near.

Ever wondered about the meaning and concept behind my name of "The Barefoot Backpacker"? In this pod I go into detail about why I'll often travel barefoot, how it feels, why it doesn't hurt as much as you'd imagine (even while taking the roads less travelled), and admit why I don't do it all the time. Note this is the very first podcast I've recorded. Included too is an introduction to who I am and my background of travel, plus a small overview of the city of Vilnius, in Lithuania.

Hello :)

This podcast comes off the back of another press-trip I was sent on by Jet2. This time me and Laura went to Austria to explore the Christmas Markets. While we were there we did a few other things, not all of which involved alcohol.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Pills and Snow
* What is a Christmas Market anyway
* Our impressions of six of them
* Things to eat and drink
* Things to do at and around the markets
* Schönbrunn Palace
* A Night At The Opera
* Lots of dead musicians
* How to ride the U-Bahn

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this episode.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Yeh, I've not podded for a while. Had an existential crisis. Still have. It's fine. Conditional normal. With fog patches. Rising slowly.

This episode is all about me, a couple of events I've been to in the past couple of months, and how my content might change in scope going forward. Because I am the UK's leading AroAce Non-Binary Gen-X Travel and Lifestyle Blogger. Arguably.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Small things I did in November
* The Traverse Creator Awards 2024
* What is the World Travel Market (WTM)?
* What I should do at WTM v what I actually do
* My niches
* Attending WTM as a non-binary travel blogger
* Getting old
* Being assumed female in a pub

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this episode, however I nicked from my appearance on Amanda Kendle's podcast her opening and closing remarks either side of my contrib.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

This is an episode I've been meaning to do for about three years, but for mainly logistical reasons, this is the first chance I've had.

The original idea came from the lifestyle podcast Sounds Fake But Okay; whenever they get stuck for content they scour the AITA forums on Reddit, and similar content in other places, to highlight allonormativity and generally go 'NTA, dump him'. I figured I could do the same for this pod, but looking at things more travel-related, ecen if there's less content about that.

However it's not the sort of episode that works well with just one person as it sounds like I'm just being bitter and ranty. So, my friend V was more than happy to help get involved. Even though she's not an ardent traveller. 

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* I'm going to South America
* Running update
* Reclining seats on aeroplanes
* Be nice to your flight crew
* Yes, you do need to stow your designer handbag
* How many photos do you need to take?
* How to take a selfie
* Does travel broaden the mind or narrow the attitude?
* Travel privilege (in brief)
* The trouble with defining how to count countries
* Do travel bloggers need more accurate visas?
* Learned helplessness and weaponised incompetence with travel companions
* Foreign Languages
* The Bermuda Triangle and Public Information Films
* Is 22 too old, or too young, to backpack Europe?

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available, largely due to the wonders of open-source AI which saved me several hours of transcription work.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this episode, however here's the articles we discussed (assuming they're still up):
* Couple banned from Cathay Pacific after seat reclining incident
* Passenger evicted from flight following row over handbag
* What's the appropriate number of photos to take on a trip?
* Traveling the world makes people assholes
* Learned Helplessness of my travel companions
* Is the Bermuda Triangle still A Thing
* Is 22 too old to backpack Europe

In addition, I ought to link to:
* The Sounds Fake But Okay Podcast
* Victoria Pearson's Website

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

I often say "Everywhere Is Interesting", but what do I mean when I say that? What makes a place 'interesting'? Or rather, given any random place in the world, what can make you 'key in' to that location over and above any other? Of course, this could be very personal, or at least subjective, so when I say 'Everywhere Is Interesting', what I mean is that there is something everywhere, in every place, that someone is going to have a connection to, or is related to a hobby or interest that someone has.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Why I was too busy to release this episode on time
* A refresher about Hometown Travel
* Travel for hobbies and interests
* Vicarious travel through music lyrics
* Every song and TV series is set somewhere
* Travel to film and video locations
* Overtourism

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Contributions in this episode come from:
* Amanda, who has a website at Not A Ballerina,
* Claire, who blogs at Curious Claire, and
* Rebecca, who can be found at Almost Ginger

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

So, despite recently moving out of Salford, I felt it was an interesting enough place to do a podcast about. Partly because 'Everywhere is Interesting' and my VA wanted me to prove it. And what could be more interesting than the location of the world's first municipal public park, the world's first bus route, the world's first street lighting, and the world's only canal swing bridge. And the UK's most polluted river, but let's not talk about that, and anyway the other half of it is in Manchester.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Running along country lanes
* A potted history of the Salford area
* Salford Central ... isn't
* Salford Quays - the posh bit
* Canals and Rivers and Bridges and Hotels
* Old and Listed Buildings
* Peel Park
* Vimto
* A short overview of Salford Pop-Culture from The Smiths to Coronation Street
* Salford Firsts

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over. For this pod I've uploaded about 9 mins of extra content all about Salford's pubs, which I thought would make the episode too long for no real advantage, but which I might use in a future episode. Who knows!

There are no contributions in this episode, although my VA does purposely misrhythm a song lyric at the beginning.

Here, by the way, is my YouTube Short about Salford Lad's Club.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Given recent big concert tours, it feels like the right time to do an episode on 'travelling for music'. It's a subject I didn't think I'd have a lot to say about, given I don't often go to concerts even locally, never mind for travels, but the more I thought about it, the more interesting comparisons and contrasts I could find between my trips.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* My first concert (Heavenly, 1992)
* The first concert I travelled for (Bon Jovi, 1995)
* Travelling to Paris to listen to French singers ...
* ... three times
* You Look Like Taylor Swift
* Other ways of travelling for music
[This latter point will be expanded and the episode re-uploaded once I get a further contribution]

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Contributions in this episode come from:
* my old schoolfriend Alistair,
* Claire, who blogs at Curious Claire, and
* Juliet, who can be found at I Am A Polar Bear

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

I've been thinking a lot recently about nostalgia. I mean, I always have, but I think over time my feelings have changed about it. There's so many people who think 'life was better when I was young', and I wanted to probe more into that, into how I felt about nostalgia, why people of my generation tend to be nostalgic, and also put some colder facts around it.

I also took a couple of trips recently to the places I grew up in, and it was interesting to compare memories of those places with how those places vibe nowadays.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* I have moved house yet again
* Music and TV from my younger days
* Why nostalgia is different for older generations than younger ones
* "The Good Old Days"
* 1970s comedy is barely golden
* How nostalgia can affect your world outlook
* The world is a better place now, statistically
* Aircraft safety has improved
* Foreign Office Travel Advice from February 1998
* Some things change, some stay the same
* The House(s) I Grew Up In
* How it feels to go back to a childhood area
* Birmingham and La Rochelle - when I tried to be amatonormative

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no direct contributions in this pod, though you do hear the voices of my co-conspirator V, my step-dad, and my friend Sarah, not that one, this is someone I went to Primary School with, and who might well be the person outside of family who I've known the longest - we met at the school gates on our first day.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

So, in August I hit both my 100th country and my 50th birthday - I arrived in Norway with three days to spare. Given these two momentous milestones, I figured it made sense to do a podcast that covered, well, at least my country count. We don't need to talk about my ever-advancing age.

I had originally planned to do a pod looking at each of my countries by first visit, and a brief synopsis of how I felt on that first visit. But then I realised that would take quite a long time, would feel a tad repetitive, and would get quite boring really. So instead I got my friend V to ask me questions about my visiting 100 countries. A couple of those questions are standard and cheesy, a couple are really quite random (but that's what you get when you crowdsource from teenagers), and a couple are quite deep and thoughtful. Very few of them are what you expect.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* A brief recap of my recent ultramarathon
* Christmas trees
* I've been to 100 countries, but what *is* a country? And what isn't?
* The obligatory rant about borders
* Colonialism and poverty tourism
* Not everywhere is great but be careful how you phrase it
* Good manners and showing respect
* Food culture and putting things in your mouth that maybe you shouldn't (not a euphemism)
* Best, worst, and most off-brand countries
* What next?
* The joy of toilets around the world
* Where to survive a zombie apocalypse
* The most 'human' place in the world

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topics, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

I was interviewed by the lovely Victoria Pearson, but you can call her V.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

It's been noticed that I've now done 100 episodes. Quite which episode was my 100th is open to question as it depends on your definition of episode - indeed if you don't count the Twitter Space recordings I did with V, I've not got there yet. But, just like with counting countries, there's always going to be arguments either way, and in terms of what my podcast host and the podcast apps say, I've made three figures. So it seems kind of appropriate to acknowledge that. I am aware that one of my Glasgow episodes was 'what I wish I'd known before starting a podcast' and I didn't want to do another episode like that, so instead what I thought I'd do was an actual retrospective of the topics I've talked about in my podcast episodes thus far, so that people who may be new to my words and content can get a feel for the sort of things that I've talked about before.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Vague things I've been up to in the Spring
* My most popular episodes
* Extracts from my episodes about Uzbekistan, Bucket Lists, Apartheid, and Sexuality while Travelling
* My favourite episodes
* Extracts from my episodes about Travel Privilege, Influencer Responsibility & Integrity, and Instagram v Reality
* Episodes I'm proud of
* Extracts from my episodes about The Wars Of The Roses, Do You Have Pride In Your Country, and Travel Podcasting with ChatGPT
* Some stats about my podcast and episode downloads

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no direct contributions in this pod, though a couple do appear in extracts.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

This is part three of an overview of my recent trip to the Caucasus region of Eurasia, and covers the four days I spent in Armenia. I talk about why Yerevan feels quite Soviet, why Armenia and Azerbaijan don't like each other, and the architectural legacy of being the world's oldest Christian country.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Asexuality Interview with an unexpected newspaper
* Local Elections
* How to spend 7 hours in Yerevan with a backpack
* The Yerevan Cascade(s)
* The Soviet vibe of Victory Park
* Kond Historic District
* The Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator
* The Blue Mosque
* Monasteries in northern Armenia
* Why Armenia and Turkey/Azerbajian don't like each other
* The Armenian Genocide Memorial
* Food and drink in Armenia
* Going home
* Impressions of Armenia and being non-binary there

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this pod, though I would like to link my appreciation to Envoy Hostels and Tours.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

This is part two of an overview of my recent trip to the Caucasus region of Eurasia, and covers the five days I spent in the country of Georgia, mainly the capital city Tbilisi. I also talk about far too much cheese and garlic, the worst beer I've ever had in my life, 

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Audio quality of recent episodes
* Problems when your debit card gets cancelled
* Arrival in Tbilisi
* First experience with Georgian food
* Transport in Tbilisi
* The Georgian National Museum
* Beer and bars in Tbilisi
* Uplistsikhe - the city built into a sandstone hill
* Food in Tbilisi
* The overnight train to Yerevan
* Tbilisi street sculptures
* The cable car and the Mother Georgia statue
* Being enby in Georgia

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this pod, but I do want to provide some links:
* Blog post by Wander-Lush on how to catch the train between Tbilisi and Yerevan
* The 80 Days Pod about Georgia
* Polar Bear Juliet's post about sulphur baths in Tbilisi
* Polar Bear Juliet's post on the Chronicles of Georgia
* Tales of a Backpacker's blog
* Little Lost Travel's blog
* Blue Marble Vagabonds' blog
* Jon (Everybody Hates a Tourist)'s blog
* Jason and Carla (Don't Miss The Plane!)'s YouTube Channel
* Traverse Events' Website

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

So, as you know, I've recently been away for two weeks, ostensibly to attend the Traverse Travel Blogger Conference, which this year took place in Tbilisi, in Georgia. I've never been to that party of the world, and it'd always been on my list.

I clearly went at the wrong time of year, but that's just what happens sometimes.

This is going to be the first of a couple of pods about the trip, and concentrates mainly on talking about the conference itself, the background to why I went, and on my first couple of days travelling, mostly spent in Azerbaijan.

Topics discussed in this episode are:

• I'm not running at the moment
• The Traverse Blogger Conference
• Niching out my website
• Background to my journey
• 4 flights and 5 airports
• One day in Baku
• Mud volcanoes
• Ancient and mediaeval rock art
• Fire Temples and Fire Mountains
• Impressions of Azerbaijan, including money, language, and queerness

A PDF transcript will be available shortly.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

It's coming up to Valentine's Day (and Quirkyalone Day), so this feels like the right time to issue an episode all about love, sex, and illicit encounters while travelling. Obviously there's content warnings in here, mainly for, well, sex and kink, but I do always try to keep it quite light-hearted. One might well ask how an AroAce can talk so much about this subject. Well.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Full Swap Radio
* Meeting people in backpacker hostels
* Dating apps
* Why I don't use dating apps but might use hookup apps
* Staying safe on the road
* Interesting hookups I've had on the road
* Good and bad dating app experiences from contributors
* Long Distance Relationships
* Relationship Admin

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Contributions in this pod come from: Maja (Away With Maja), Kylie (Between England), and my friend Kitty.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Of course it's the New Year, and as such, the travel world is plastered with lists of 'where to go in 2024', 'best places to visit in 2024', and the like. Now, I have to say I've never been terribly fond of these sorts of things on a fundamental level for a number of reasons. I mean, sure they provide a good quick way of inspiring people, especially people who are relatively new to travel, but sometimes I feel that they tend to be quite … well, have a listen and see if you agree with me.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Back to Glasgow for re-coloured hair
* My eyes are getting old
* Time Out's "The World's Best Cities For 2024"
* Great Cities are Big and Western
* Forbes' "Where To Travel And Avoid The Crowds In 2024"
* What does 'lesser-visited' even mean?
* British Vogue's "Best Places To Travel in 2024"
* National Geographic's "The Cool List 2024" - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/uk-cool-list-2024
* CNN's "Best Destinations To Visit in 2024" - https://edition.cnn.com/travel/best-destinations-to-visit-2024/index.html 
* Conclusions

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this pod, it's just my voice.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

And so to the second part of 'let's make a podcast that's going to cause more unfollowers than followers'. Mind you, let's be honest, I've had several podcast episodes like that, and nothing untoward has happened. Maybe I should be more controversial. There again.

I wasn't originally sure what to do for this episode. I toyed with the idea of doing one on 'ancient and mediaeval Travel Bloggers you need to know about', but I realised it would require far too much research in the time I had available. However using the very first one, Hanno The Navigator, as a 'hook', I realised I could go down a very different path, which combines history, Instagram, and ethical behaviour, but not in the way you might expect.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* A very brief housekeeping update
* The voyage of Hanno The Navigator
* Issues with the surviving account of Hanno's voyage
* Why everyone should take more selfies
* The South Sea Bubble
* History is elitist and biased
* Why editing photographs isn't that bad really
* Hanoi's Train Street
* Geotagging and the problem of lost cities
* Recording the mundane, from pencil sharpeners to Friendship Books
* Viking helmets don't have horns

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this pod, it's just my voice.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Well, you may be pleased to know I survived my trip to SE Asia. But it was a close-run thing as you'll hear at the start of this episode.

Anyway. It's Christmas. I should do a pod about this time of year. And this is one I've cobbled together at the last possible moment. I think I might well whine a bit more than usual in it. But it's fine; this isn't my time of year by definition.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* The most 8 minutes I've ever had on a plane
* My Christmas is low-key
* 100 Countries by Age 50
* American Christmas Music Radio
* Whamageddon!
* Christmas trees
* Australia at Christmas
* Christmas markets I have seen and drank at
* Family Christmasses growing up
* Pantomimes
* New Year traditions

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Contributions in this pod come from my friend Anne-Laure, who can be found on Instagram; my mother, who doesn't have a web presence of any note; and Amanda Kendle, of the Not A Ballerina website.
Also, the Deck of Many Aces podcast can be found wherever you listen to podcasts, but they're hosted here by Acast.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

As I'm currently away on a backpacking trip around South-East Asia, it makes sense to issue a podcast episode about the previous time I went to this part of the world (mainland, anyway, not the many islands off the coast) - back in 2012 to Laos and Cambodia. This episode is specifically about the Laos part of the trip; the subsequent Cambodian adventure will be my featured in next podcast.

A PDF transcript of this podcast will be available when I return, for ... admin reasons.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Laura has been bugging me to talk about our trip to India earlier this year for a while, and because Past Me was always intending to pod it, they did travel diary voice recordings on a near-daily basis to provide a basic framework, or in fact to just use as the pod.

Anyway, the trip was across a little of Southern India, starting in Kochi and taking in the Kerala Backwaters, an overnight train, and the two temple-centric cities of Madurai and Thanjavur. This had us visiting the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Due to the nature of the recordings, quality cannot be guaranteed to be consist'nt.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* I have ADHD. Who'd've thunked it?!
* Admin and immigration to India is more interesting than you'd imagine
* Food and drink in Kochi
* Three Hours on the Kerala Backwaters probably isn't enough
* The Obligatory McDonalds
* Overnighting on an Indian train is comfortably and pleasantly underwhelming
* A day in Madurai, being frustrated by temples
* A peaceful daytime train to Thanjavur
* The joys of suburban hotels: Becoming the GPS we always wanted to be - Part One
* Finally, a good temple experience
* We Still Don't Speak Tamil: Becoming the GPS we always wanted to be - Part Two
* The delightful experience of a non-touristy backstreet restaurant

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topics, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Three-Quarters of this podcast is made up of daily summary conversations recorded at the time between me and my friend Laura, so I guess that counts as her contributing!

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

I've been meaning to do a pod specifically about running for a while; it's something that I mention quite often in my housekeeping and I've also tangentially talked about it in smaller sections on pods covering a wider remit. As such, some of what I'll talk about you'll have heard before, but I felt it was the right time to cover this topic again now.

Topics discussed include:
* My purple hair
* All the ways I've been social this month
* Cross-Country running at my secondary school
* Why I rarely run when travelling
* Meeting up with other runners on the move
* Running clothing and shoes in luggage
* Travelling the world for marathons
* A first foreign marathon experience
* An overview of Parkrun
* Parkrun Tourism in several forms

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Contribs for this episode came from:
Steven Ericson - Steven on the Move 
Steve Biggs - Biggsytravels
Alice (TrafficConeLlama)

Here is the blog post Steve Biggs mentioned where he talked to his father about marathons. 

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Well, this is an unusual episode in several ways, but the main one is the relative lack of personal updates and housekeeping. If you want to know what I've been up to this past month, now would be a great time to sign up to my monthly Newsletter, deets below!

Now, I'm aware I don't talk about my background or my family much, save for the occasional regular subtweet to my my mother. But anyway. A couple of years after I was born, my mother re-married. And Gary, the chap she married, had an interesting job – he was a refrigeration engineer in the Merchant Navy. While he's long since left that role (he had some twenty-five years since doing the same role for a large supermarket chain specialising in frozen foods), this was how I first knew him, and thus may have been a childhood influence on my travels.

And it occurred to me, after I'd done a few of my podcasts, that it would make an interesting episode – it's travel-related, it's a historic snapshot of a life that's very different now, and above all, it's not something I think many of you would necessarily know about. I certainly didn't know a lot about it growing up, and as you'll hear, there's probably some reasons for that. So a couple of years ago I went to visit, took my laptop and microphone, and set about interviewing him all about his life and his adventures. The full 2hr 11min interview is available on my Patreon, along with some images of the ships he served on.

Note he has a strong accent and a slightly fluid way of speaking. This did not help the transcription.

Topics discussed include:
* What is the Merchant Navy and why he joined
* Seasickness and bad weather
* What problems could occur en route
* How big the ships he served on were, and how they were structured
* What the working life was life, and who he served with
* Food and drink on board
* How he'd pass the time on long journeys
* Shore leave and visiting off-brochure places
* The Merchant Navy now

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Well, that was an unexpectedly long break. To be honest I wasn't planning it but I did kind of need it. But just in case you needed confirmation: Everything Has Been All Right. So far at least.

Anyway, this episode is a short one, just in part to let you know I'm still alive, partly to give you an indication of what to look forward to in the new series of episodes, for a given definition of series, and mainly to give you a housekeeping life update. There's also a call-to-action for future episodes. Normal service will be resumed next time. For a given definition of normal. 

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

Until next time, bye for now. :)