Episodes
We’re crunching through the snow, leaping from jagged cliffs and going behind the scenes in the Rough Guide to Everywhere series finale. First off, we’re in South Georgia, an eyebrow-shaped island in the South Atlantic Ocean, where travel writer and Rough Guides podcast heavyweight Shafik Meghji shares stories from his expedition, from curious penguins to passing glaciers the size of the Isle of Man. Then we whizz across to Mexico, where Rough Guides author Daniel Stables stumbled across...
Published 08/19/19
Published 08/19/19
What is it that draws us to extreme travel? In our penultimate episode of series four of The Rough Guide to Everywhere podcast, we speak with the travel writer, filmmaker and storyteller, Ash Bhardwaj. Ash recently travelled the entire length and breadth of the Russian-European border – that’s 8500km, in case you were wondering – so we decided to find out exactly why he decided to take this travel venture to the extreme, and what travel means to him... This episode was hosted by Aimee White...
Published 07/29/19
When you think of Swedish traditions, maybe what comes to mind is fika, lagom or Midsummer’s Day celebrations. But there’s another, quite unique tradition that you may not have heard of before: kulning, otherwise known as cow-calling. In this episode, we find out exactly what kulning is, the social impact that it has had on the country and how what started as a local way of life in the Middle Ages has woven itself into modern music and life today. By preserving subcultures like kulning, we...
Published 07/15/19
What exactly is ‘responsible photography’? In this episode, we’re exploring how we can be more mindful when photographing a particular place or a person. We speak with the award-winning travel writer and photographer Lola Akinmade Åkerström, an expert on the subject, and photographer Hoda Afshar, who explains how new images can battle old stereotypes. Photography gives us the opportunity to peer into other people’s realities, understand and empathize with situations different to our own and...
Published 07/01/19
Adventure writing has the ability to transport you to the place you’re reading about: taking in the unfamiliar script on a road sign, savouring sharp smells and fragrant tastes, basking in the hot heat and tingling in the freezing cold, feeling the rhythm of the music beating through the air. In this episode, we speak with author Maggie Ritchie, who travelled to Shanghai to research her new book, Bold Girls, in which two young Glaswegian women move to Shanghai at the turn of the 20th...
Published 06/17/19
The 6th June 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy, so in this podcast episode we take a look at how the Second World War is memorialised across Europe, and the importance of doing so. We speak with Joe Staines, one of the authors of our upcoming Travel the Liberation Route Europe Guide, and writer Louisa Adjoa-Parker, to discuss how different European countries were affected, and listen to some of the lesser-heard histories of the Second World War. By examining...
Published 06/03/19
Icelandic folklore complements the rugged landscape of the remote West Fjords. With ethereal vistas, natural beauty and enchanting landscapes aplenty, there is something else that brings character to this region: myths, legends and witchcraft. This week, host Aimee White (@aimeefw) speaks to Magnus Raffnson, co-founder of the Museum of Witchcraft and Sorcery, to find out how Iceland’s folklore and history of witchcraft is connected with this part of the country, and how it has improved...
Published 05/20/19
Our sister-guidebook series, Insight Guides, have brought out their very own podcast. Exciting times! In this short episode we chat with Zara Sekhavati, the podcast host, to find out more about Insight Guides and what series one has to offer – as well as a sneak preview of the very first episode. Check out their feed, The Insight Guides Podcast, for future episodes.
Published 05/13/19
Welcome to series four of the Rough Guide to Everywhere! With a brand new host on board (Rough Guides editor Aimee White), we've got a fresh batch of stories, intriguing destinations and incredible guests lined up and ready to share with you. In this first episode, we take a look at a unique communications black hole in West Virginia, USA. The small town of Green Bank is home to the National Radio Quiet Zone, where scientists monitor space via huge, white telescopes. Radio waves must be...
Published 05/07/19
In eighteenth-century Louisiana, escapee African slaves would make a break for the bayous. Here they might encounter Native Americans and occasionally find asylum with them: two peoples who had in common a struggle for freedom from oppression. That this episode in history is remembered is in part thanks to the Black Masking Indians of New Orleans, who are best known for their unmissable presence at the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations. Lavishly dressed in intricately beaded suits, the Black...
Published 09/10/18
This week on The Rough Guide to Everywhere, host Rebecca Hallett (instagram.com/becca.hallett) takes a journey into her own genes, and asks whether it’s worth the trip. As at-home DNA tests get increasingly popular, some people are starting to travel based on their ancestry results. Is this an innovative new way to plan a trip, adding depth and connection to your travels? Or is it just another fad? Thanks to co-host Neil McQuillian, producer Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening...
Published 08/27/18
Galápagos. What do you picture when you hear those four syllables? Chances are it’s wildlife, from giant tortoises and marine iguanas to blue-footed boobies. And rightly so, for the animals on these islands, sitting in extreme isolation 1000km (600 miles) off the Ecuadorian coast, are genuinely spectacular. In fact, it was the so-called ‘tameness’ of the Galápagos animals -- just one facet of their incredible idiosyncrasies -- that helped bring Darwin to his world-changing theory of...
Published 08/13/18
Having made it through colonisation by everyone from the Phoenicians to the Romans to the British, Malta may now be facing its biggest threat of all: tourists. This week, host Rebecca Hallett (instagram.com/becca.hallett) looks at the beautiful island nation’s history and the future it may be heading for through the lens of its architecture. As we near the end of Valletta’s tenure as European Capital of Culture 2018, we ask whether Malta will be able hang onto the heritage that makes it so...
Published 07/30/18
From the region's coal mines to keel boats plying the mighty River Tyne and ships on the hunt for precious whale oil, shanties eased and animated working life in England's Northeast for centuries. Host Neil McQuillian heads up to Newcastle for a dose of salty sea-shanty culture, meeting a couple of guardians of this bawdy, moving and always rousing oral culture. Thanks to our producers Femi Oriogun-Williams and Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).
Published 07/17/18
Bring a fake wedding ring, cover up, don’t stay out late – just go with friends and don’t risk it! Every woman knows to expect these responses when she starts planning a trip by herself. But is this advice helpful, or does it just end up putting women off the exciting, enriching business of travelling on your own terms? Join host Rebecca Hallett (instagram.com/becca.hallett) in conversation with three intrepid women who’ve heard every cautionary tale, well-intentioned tip and “but is it...
Published 07/02/18
In Balule Nature Reserve, a woman’s place is in the bush, putting off poachers and protecting rhinos – even when heavily pregnant. Rough Guides travel editor Georgia Stephens (twitter.com/Stephens_GA) spoke to Charlie, Nkateko and Cute of the Black Mambas (www.blackmambas.org) about the realities of life in South Africa’s first ever majority-female anti-poaching unit, dealing not only with poachers and dangerous animals, but also ingrained prejudices about what a woman can achieve. Thanks to...
Published 06/18/18
Artworks made from human skulls, all-night street parades and frenzied spirit possession, Rough Guides author Thomas Rees (twitter.com/ThomasNRees) leads us down the alleyways of Port Au Prince in Haiti, looking at how vodou influences everything from the art world to the music scene and beyond. President Trump might not rate the place, but Thomas makes a very compelling case to the contrary. Thanks to our producer Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (www.reducedlistening.co.uk).
Published 06/04/18
Trailer for series 3 of travel podcast The Rough Guide to Everywhere. We're back with wonderful new stories, new guests, new locations and new hosts in Rebecca Hallett and Neil McQuillian, editors at Rough Guides (www.roughguides.com). Episode 18 – all about Haiti and voudou – launches Monday June 4th. If you're enjoying the podcast, you can listen to all of the episodes on Apple podcasts or wherever you download your shows. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss an episode, and please...
Published 05/31/18
In this episode Greg travels to Finnish Lapland to embark on a hunt for the northern lights. This is Greg's last episode of the Rough Guide to Everywhere, but keep an eye on Rough Guides' social channels and roughguides.com to find out about exciting upcoming projects. And to find out what Greg's up to next, follow him on Twitter @greg_dickinson or Instagram @travelographs. Greg travelled to Finland with The Aurora Zone, the UK’s first and only dedicated Northern Lights holiday company....
Published 12/20/17
At any one time, somewhere, there is a Rough Guides author on the road, crossing a country on a rickety bus, scribbling notes on the back of a receipt, or propping up a bar in a one-horse town. All in the name of making sure that the Rough Guide slotted in your backpack is as reliable, up-to-date and honest as ever. In this week's episode we hear from Shafik Meghji, who is just back from updating the Rough Guide to Bolivia. Shafik visits a lost civilization in the depths of the Bolivian...
Published 11/29/17
Cowboy, pirate, storyteller, cultural educator, soft-porn photographer. 81-year-old Francis Firebrace has led an extraordinary life. In this episode, Greg chats with Francis in his Surrey home. Francis shares his incredible life story, and tells some of the Aboriginal stories that he is known and loved for.
Published 11/13/17
In a world where we rely so heavily on GPS to get from A to B, it is easy to tune out from the natural navigational cues that surround us. In this episode, Rough Guides editor Greg Dickinson travels to Barnham in West Sussex to meet up with Tristan Gooley, the "Natural Navigator", to discover how to create an internal compass using the logic of nature. Check out www.naturalnavigator.com for more information on what Tristan does, and follow him on Twitter @NaturalNav.
Published 10/30/17
On the Tanzanian island of Ukerewe, and across sub-Saharan Africa, people with albinism are persecuted in devastating and unimaginable ways. In the summer of 2016, Grammy Award-winning producer Ian Brennan travelled to the island with the charity Standing Voice, armed with a load of microphones and musical instruments. This is the story of the Tanzania Albinism Collective. This episode was produced by Alannah Chance. Assistant Producer Katie Callin. Thanks to Keith Drew and George Dee...
Published 10/15/17
We've all heard so much about North Korea. But how many of us have actually travelled to the secretive state? In this week's episode Greg chats with legendary travel writer and publisher Hilary Bradt about her recent visit to the most mysterious and isolated country in the world. We're very excited to announce that we have been shortlisted for a Lovie Award! Vote for The Rough Guide to Everywhere on bit.ly/voteroughguides before Thursday 5th October.
Published 10/02/17