We’re wrapping up Season 3 with a moving conversation with Dr. Tonya Matthews, the president and CEO of the International African American Museum (IAAM), which is due to open in Charleston, South Carolina later this year. Dr. Matthews talks about the inspiration for the museum; how the museum approaches storytelling; and how she hopes the museum will inspire courage in its visitors. She also shares how the IAAM will help to shape Charleston’s tourism landscape. Plus, listen up at the end of...

How do you think about the climate impact of travel? For a lot of people, this is a complex question — both technically and emotionally. Our guest this week, Christina Beckmann, is here to help us navigate this topic. Christina is the co-founder of Tomorrow’s Air, a collective of travelers who are investing in the scale-up of carbon removal from the atmosphere. Christina talks about how technologies like direct air capture are evolving, and shares how individuals can help support a long-term...

What does “immersive travel” actually mean, and how can you try this yourself? That’s the question we’re exploring in today’s episode, and here to help us is Miyuki Seguchi, a travel adviser, tour guide, podcast host, and creator of the Japan Travel Essentials Course. Miyuki talks about what immersive travel means to her and how travelers can embrace these experiences themselves. She also shares her thoughts on overcoming language barriers; offers tips on cultural experiences that you can...

It's been a big year for travel, so I thought we'd wrap up 2022 with an episode that looks back at 3 big travel takeaways from the year. These are trends that I've seen cutting across countries, destinations and sectors of the industry, and they're forces that I think will continue to shape the travel world in the year ahead. Plus, listen up for a special invitation from me at the end of the episode! What do you think? What were your travel takeaways from this year?  Thanks so much for...

Award-winning journalist and author Shafik Meghji joins the show to share what he finds so captivating about Bolivia, a nation rich in culture and history that’s also home to deserts, jungles and snow-capped mountains. Shafik — who has written and reported from six continents — also talks about his career as a journalist and guidebook writer, and reflects on how the right kind of travel writing can empower people to have more positive and meaningful experiences when they travel. Thank you...

Venice is often described as a classic example of "overtourism" in Europe. But what's really going on in this famous Italian city?  This week, Italian journalist Anna Momigliano joins the show to talk about the history and evolution of tourism in Venice, and to share how visitors to this beloved city can actually have a positive impact during their stay. As Anna explains, it all comes down to how, when, and *for how long* you visit the city. Listen up for her specific suggestions for how to...

Fatima Haidari joins the show this week to talk about the rich history and culture of Afghanistan, her home country, and to share why she became a tour guide despite facing intense pressure not to do so — from society, as well as from her own family. Fatima’s compassion and courage shine through as she describes her dedication to tour guiding, as well as the threats to her life that she faced when she left Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover last year. It's rare that an interview stops...

This week, we're delighted to welcome American travel guru Rick Steves back to the show. Rick is a radio host, the owner of a tour company, and the author of dozens of guidebooks, but he considers his latest project -- a six-episode TV series about European art -- to be his "opus magnum."  In this episode, Rick describes how we can all have more rewarding travel experiences by taking some time to learn about the art of the places we visit. He also talks about what he learned while filming the...

This week, we explore one of the most powerful potential benefits of tourism: bringing jobs and income into rural communities.  Our guest is Manisha Pande, the co-founder and managing director of Village Ways, an Indian tour company that was set up with the specific aim of helping villages benefit from the tourism that was already coming to their regions -- but that wasn't (yet!) doing any good for their communities.  In this episode, you'll learn:  What it's like to be hosted by a...

This week, we're joined by Husam Jubran, a Palestinian tour guide and peace worker who has helped to lead a movement toward more meaningful tourism in the region that he calls home. In this episode, you'll learn: How tourism in Palestine has evolved over the past 25 years Husam's favorite places to bring visitors in the West Bank What it takes to become a tour guide in Israel and Palestine Husam's advice for how to have a meaningful travel experience wherever you go If you enjoyed...

Zakia Moulaoui Guery, CEO of Invisible Cities, shares how her company creates exceptional travel experiences that allow visitors to give back to the people and places they visit. Thanks so much for listening! Links and things Invisible Cities website: https://invisible-cities.org/ Zakia’s TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWITmCWSZrw The International Network of Social Tours: https://inst.ngo/ Link to register for free Sept 23 Zoom event on travel with purpose:...

Why is the beach synonymous with paradise for so many of us? How do beach resorts change the communities around them? And will they manage to survive rising sea levels? In the first episode of Season 3, Paige speaks with Sarah Stodola, author of “The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit and Peril at the Beach,” for a deep dive on one of humanity’s favorite travel destinations. Thanks so much for listening! Links and things Sarah’s website https://sarahstodola.com/ Sarah’s book...

Welcome to Season 3 of The Better Travel Podcast! Hosted by Paige McClanahan, a travel journalist and lifelong travel addict, this is the show that gives you a deeper understanding of the world of travel. Come along with us in Season 3 as we meet innovators, entrepreneurs and activists around the world who are challenging the status quo in the travel industry and making sure that travel gets us out of our comfort zones and opens our minds. Hit subscribe now. Episode 1 drops on September 8!

For the Season 2 finale, Paige speaks to Bruce Poon Tip, who is both the founder of a major adventure travel company and an executive producer of “The Last Tourist,” an award-winning documentary that makes the case for why we need to dramatically rethink the way we travel. Bruce shares the film’s origin story and explains why he wanted the movie to convey a message of hope: that travel — done right — can bring wealth into some of the world’s poorest areas, creating jobs and alleviating...

This week, we’re talking about safari tourism — but not the kind of safari you might be thinking of. Instead of looking for giraffes, lions and elephants on the savannas of Kenya or Tanzania, we’re heading to Italy to go wolf tracking and to Romania to spy wild European bison. Our guide here is Aukje van Gerven of the European Safari Company and Rewilding Europe. Aukje tells us about rewilding trends in Europe and describes how wildlife tourism is opening up new opportunities — both for...

This week, we’re bringing you a conversation with Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler! Tony joins the show to tell the story of the company’s founding and to talk about how guidebooks have changed the way we travel. He also reminisces about the “Hippie Trail” across Asia in the 1970s and tells us about the strangest place he’s ever been. Plus, listen up for our latest language lesson, in which our producer Artemis learns a beautiful and meaningful phrase in Czech. Next week, we’ll be off...

Uganda’s first wildlife vet, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, joins the show this week to share how tourism has affected the lives of the wildlife and residents in and around Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in southwestern Uganda. Dr. Gladys, who was recently named a UN Champion of the Earth, is the founder and CEO of both Conservation Through Public Health and Gorilla Conservation Coffee. She joins the show to talk about the important economic opportunities that have come with gorilla...

This week, Paige is joined by Erin Elizabeth Hynes, an experienced and enthusiastic traveler, travel writer and travel podcaster who shares some excellent advice for her fellow women wanderers, as well as some of her travel stories from Venice, Morocco, Greece and beyond. But the episode kicks off with this week’s language lesson (in Japanese!), which is taught by Miyuki Seguchi, a traveler, tour guide and podcast host whose aim is to help people have immersive and transformative experiences...

This week, we’re exploring a topic that’s on the minds of a lot of travelers these days: short-term tourist rentals, which is a service offered by a lot of companies, but perhaps the most well known is Airbnb. First up, Dr. Daniel Guttentag of the College of Charleston joins the show to explain why short-term rentals hold so much appeal, and to tell us how these kinds of services have evolved over the years. He also describes some of the impacts of short-term rentals and offers some advice...

This week, we speak to Mark Smith of the Man in Seat 61 and Anna Hughes of Flight Free UK to find out why a lot of travelers are switching from planes to trains, and to learn about some of the exciting new train routes we can explore. Anna Hughes is the director of Flight Free UK, which is working to inspire people to embrace trains and other forms of travel that have a low-carbon impact – including by asking people to pledge to take a year off flying. She shares how they aim to see the...

This week's guest is Bala Amarasekaran of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Bala talks about the challenges facing the area's chimps and how he thinks responsible tourism is part of the solution. He also describes how tourism in Sierra Leone is evolving, and why he hopes to spread the word about everything the country has to offer. Plus, listen up for this week’s language lesson, in which our producer, Artemis, learns a phrase in...

Traveling can stir up a lot of questions and emotions, not least with regard to race, privilege and power.  Our guest this week, Dr. Anu Taranath, is here to help us navigate our uncomfortable travel experiences. She explains how we can move beyond guilt when we travel, and find ways to use our difficult moments or encounters to promote justice and compassion.  Dr. Anu is a speaker, facilitator and professor who is also the author of an acclaimed book, "Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in...

This week, Paige is joined by Aziz Abu Sarah, an author, National Geographic explorer, and co-founder of Mejdi Tours, a company that aims to promote peace and understanding through its innovative tours of places like Israel and Palestine, Colombia, the Balkans, Northern Ireland — and Washington, D.C. Aziz shares how his childhood growing up as a Palestinian in Jerusalem shaped his understanding of the world, and he offers some excellent advice for anyone looking to have more meaningful...

This week, we hear from experts at the Whitney Plantation and Monticello -- two tourist sites that are at the frontlines of contemporary discussions about the experiences of enslaved people and the role of slavery in the United States. Dr. Joy Banner, Director of Communications at the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana, describes how the site has created a visitor experience that centers the lives of the enslaved people who lived on the plantation. Justin Bates, a historical interpreter at...