Amateur Traveler Travel Podcast

The Amateur Traveler talks to Robin who is an expert on Hawaii about the island of Oahu. More specifically Robin is a Conde Naste "Top Travel Specialist" for Hawaii. We talk about populous and bustling downtown Honolulu and the see and be seen beach at Waikiki. We also talk about quieter beaches like Ala Moana Beach Park, Magic Island, and Haleiwa, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, kayaking, swimming with wild spinner dolphins and scuba diving out of Haleiwa. Robin gives us tips for visiting Pearl Harbor's USS Arizona memorial, the "Mighty Mo" battleship Missouri (and the Explorer's Tour) and the Pacific Aviation Museum. We talk about the differences between the windward and the leeward parts of Oahu. We hike the extinct volcano at Diamond Head (bring a flashlight). We discuss loco moco, a plate lunch and the upscale Alan Wong's restaurant Honolulu. We talk about nightlife from Kani Ka Pila to more trendy spots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith (who was a guest on Travel to America’s National Parks - Amateur Traveler Episode 121) about Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. We talk about all the different geothermal highlights of the park including Old Faithful, other geysers, thermal pools, etc. We also talk about wildlife, hiking, camping, floating down the Snake river, the grand canyon of the yellowstone, the grandeur of the Tetons (and the strange original of the name Teton). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Ira Bernstein about why he continues to go back to Venice and the Veneto (the Italian state where Venice is) annually. Learn about other parts of Venice besides the tourist filled Saint Mark's square. We talk about the Gheto in the Cannaregio sestieri. We talk about how to get around, where you can stay for less money and why you might want to stay outside of Venice. We talk about the glass blowers of Morano and the lace makers of Borano. Then we get outside of Venice to Padua, Verona, and Bassano del Grappa. We will stand in Galileo's lectern at the university of Padua (where they paid him his weight in gold to come teach). And we will visit the (fake) balcony of Juliet in Padua where we will rub a statue of Juliet for luck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Harry Pariser about the Virgin Islands. Harry is the author of Explore the Virgin Islands which just printed its seventh edition. Harry takes about the United States Virgin islands (primarily St Thomas, St John and St Croix) and the British Virgin Islands (primarily Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke). The Virgin Islands offer high end luxury resorts, cruise ships but also camping on a beach. They have gourmet restaurants but also local cuisine like conch salad and john cakes. They offer snorkeling, scuba, hiking or just lying on a beach. They take U.S. dollars and speak English making this and accessible island paradise. Harry is making his second appearance on the Amateur Traveler. He was also the guest on Travel to Costa Rica - Amateur Traveler Episode 116. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to again to Chris Willis (Swimming with Whales off Tonga - Episode 38, Ethiopia - Episode 79, Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda - Episode 80, Travel to Mongolia - Episode 111) about his cruise with Quark Expeditions from Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica via the Falklands, South Georgia and South Orkney islands. We talk about wildlife photography of penguins, sea birds, whales and bad tempered fur seals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Jose from Caracas Venezuela about a recent trip to Bhutan. Learn about this remote country in the himalayas. Jose, a friend, a tour guide and a drive explored a small portion of the beautiful country on a 5 day trip. They hiked to Buddhist monasteries, watched the national sport (archery) and even saw the youngest king in the world. The flight in may be harrowing but the country itself is peaceful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Doug McConnell of OpenRoad.tv about his love for the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. Doug has been going to this rugged, stark and beautiful area of California and Nevada since he was a kid. He tells us about Hollywood's love of this area, the oldest trees on the planet, the water wars of California, the tufa fields of Mono Lake, the ghost town of Bodie and more. He also tells of his friends Galen and Barbara Rowell who called this area their home until their deaths in 2002. Galen was a renowned nature photographer and Barbara was his partner and pilot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Anna Laura about her home city of Mexico City. We will talk about food, museums, architecture and history. We will puzzle about why the tourists stay in the Zona Rosa and we will tell you where they should go including Coyacan and Xochimilco. We will climb the world's third largest pyramid and eat street food. Discover this huge, bustling, diverse city. 20 million Mexico's can't be wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Dennis Cheatham of LoveforTexas.com about his home state of Texas. Dennis takes us on a virtual tour of the Lone Star state including some of the usually stops at Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and some of the more unusual stops like a fake Prada store, a replica of Stonehenge and a haunted railroad crossing. On the way we will learn more about the history and people of this state that has been part of 6 different countries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to John from Dallas about traveling to Moscow. We talk about red square, the Kremlin, the towers of Saint Basil’s cathedral, night life, the National History Museum, Cold War Museum and Russian women in mini-skirts. John who knows only two words of Russian still finds it easy enough to both get around in and fall in love with this somewhat mysterious city. Just think how much much he would like it if he visited Moscow in Summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler was nominated for a Lonely Planet Travel Blogging Award in the Podcast category and I could use your help. You will find a link to vote on http://AmateurTraveler.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Sarah Menkedick about her adopted home town of Oaxaca Mexico. Sarah talks about her love for this sunny tropical city with both colonial and pre-columbian roots. Oaxaca has recovered from its political troubles but tourism is still down so this may be the perfect time to explore its markets, sample its food, marvel at its ruins, and relax in its public square. Sarah's top three reasons to come to Oaxaca are all food: mescal, mole and chile. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Geoff Smith about his boyhood home of Nashville that he recently moved back to. What would bring a musician back to Nashville after he has lived all of the world? Geoff talks about the things that tourists come to see: the Grand Ole Opry, Honky Tonk Row (including his own piano bar the Big Bang Bar), the Country Music Hall of Fame, The Musicians Hall of Fame, The Opryland Hotel. Then Geoff tells us what he really loves about Nashville. Nashville is a place where creative and artistic people can live among the beautiful rolling hills of Tennessee in one of the USA’s big three music cities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Friedel from TravellingTwo.com about their continuing bike tour around the world. Friedel was on previously talking about travel to Iran and has come back to talk about the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. This region of the world offers adventure travelers deserts, tea houses, camels, wild horses, yurts, tea houses, spectacular mountains, friendly locals and fermented mares milk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Jessica from Williamsburg Virgina who traveled last Summer to the Ukraine with an ethnomusicologist from Villiage Harmony to learn how to sing Ukrainian folk music. Jessica travelled both to larger cities like the capital Kiev and Ivano-Frankivsk and small country villages. She also journeyed into the Carpathian mountains on the Romanian border. Jessica relates some of the stories about the people she met, the food they ate and scary public bathrooms. Learn why you should not whistle indoors or give someone a dozen roses in the Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Sam about his recent trip to Cuba with his brother. Sam visited Havana and Trinadad. He reveled in the local music, the warmth of the people, the beautiful and enigmatic scenery and tolerated the food. Sam who is one eighth Cuban also met family that he had not known about until recently. Sam’s highlights include walking with tourists and locals alike along the malecon on the shore of Havana. As a photographer he came back with over a thousand pictures of the people, the colonial architecture and the classic cars of Cuba. A small sample of Sam’s work can be seen in the iTunes enhanced version of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to David Dougherty about his recent trip to the small country of Armenia. David talks about view of Mount Ararat (just over the border in Turkey), monasteries and churches, riding the packed minivan buses (marshrutkas), meeting locals with a shared interest, the food, the legends and some of the history (the Armenian genocide). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Casey Wohl the author of the Girls Getaway Guide to Key West about Key West Florida. We will talk about how the area has changed in the last 20 years from Jimmy Buffet’s famous Margaritaville to an area with numerous nice restaurants, art galleries and hotels. We will also talk about beaches, Ernest Hemmingway and other sland characters and how to catch a spiny lobster with your tickle stick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Douglas Duckett about his travels to Israel and his popular travel guide to Israel. Douglas has fallen in love not just with the "holy land" but with the modern nation of Israel. We address the issue of "is it safe to travel to Israel" at this time when Israel is at war with the Palestinians in Gaza. He takes us on a virtual trip from the beaches and night life of Tel Aviv, through the working city of Haifa with the beautiful Baha'i gardens and the informative museum about the modern jewish immigration. We stop at Lake Kinneret (also known as The Sea of Galilee, also Sea of Genneseret, or Lake Tiberias) at the town of Tiberius. We make a detour to the historic site of Gamla the "Masada of the North" before turning our face toward Jerusalem. On the way to Jerusalem we stop at Megiddo (Armageddon in the bible) and the roman ruins at Beit-Shean. In Jerusalem we talk about the overwhelming religious and historic significance of the city and how some people come down with " Jerusa

The Amateur Traveler talks to Eden (an ambassador for Macallan Whiskey) about his home country of Scotland. Eden lays out a tour for Amateur Traveler listeners that starts in Edinburgh with its castle, royal mile and pubs and continues up to Saint Andrews (the home of golf) and the castles of Perthshire. We make sure to stop on the Whiskey trail of Speyside before continuing to the rugged countryside of the highlands. We also talk about special events, famous scotsmen and hagis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices