Travel Tales by Afar | Stories from the Road

The Ambassador, the President, and Me: an Unlikely Reunion in India

Author Charmaine Craig had always felt mysteriously drawn to India—pulled by childhood family legends of ancestors who arrived there centuries ago and copper plates inscr

'Pack Light' Is a Lie: What a 16-Year-Old Learned About Travel (and Life) in Guatemala

When 16-year-old Jayla Nicholas from New York City packed her one carry-on suitcase for Guatemala, she thought she had everything figured out. A seasoned city kid who lov

Replay: Why a Wildlife Biologist Traded Mice for the World's Most Dangerous Predator

When polar bear biologist Alysa McCall was growing up in Kamloops, British Columbia, watching black bears raid fruit trees outside her living room window, she never imagi

What 400 Miles of Hitchhiking the Oregon Coast Taught Me About Home

When Santi Elijah Holley, writer and author of An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created, was 25, he took the ultimate travel leap of faith: He hitchhik

Wait, Coleslaw Is What? The Surprising Tales of Classic American Foods

Dr. Jessica B. Harris⁠, renowned food historian and author of High on the Hog, which later became a hit Netflix series of the same name, reveals the shocking truth about

Summer Replay! The Surfer Who Feels Everything

This is a replay episode from Season 4 featuring Ryan Knighton's journey to Kaua'i. Ryan Knighton, AFAR contributing writer, TV writer for Billions, and author of Cockey

Space, Sea, and the Nudge That Saved His Life

Jim Kitchen, professor of entrepreneurship at UNC Chapel Hill, has visited all 193 countries, rocketed 66 miles into space with Blue Origin, and descended seven miles to

The Woman Who Turned Dancing into a Passport to the World

Mickela Mallozzi, Emmy award-winning host of PBS's Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, transforms strangers into dance partners across seven continents. Whether learning se

A Ride Through South Dakota’s Most Misunderstood Festival

Jaymee Sire⁠, host of Food Network Obsessed podcast, trades tasting menus for throttle grips at the legendary Sturgis Motorcyle Rally in South Dakota.  Whether riding tw

What Touring America Taught a Southern Comic About Reading a Crowd

Kentucky native and comedian Katherine Blanford takes us on a hilarious journey across America, sharing how different regions react to humor and why the Pacific Northwest

In the Warming Arctic, These Inuit Traditions Refuse to Disappear

When Métis writer Debbie Olsen heard the haunting sounds of Inuit throat singing for the first time, she felt an unexpected connection to her own Indigenous roots. In nor

I Solo Hiked 7,500 Miles from Cape Town to Cairo—and Found Connection at Every Step

When Turks and Caicos native Mario Rigby landed in Cape Town with nothing but a backpack, a pair of worn-in sneakers, and a dream to walk the length of Africa, he thought

Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski Ate Around the World With Your Favorite Celebrities. These Are the Meals That Still Haunt Him

Antoni Porowski, our favorite culinary expert from Queer Eye, takes you behind-the-scenes of his new National Geographic show, No Taste Like Home (premiering February 23,

The Spontaneous (Travel!) Story of How Afar Came to Be

No plan. No luggage. Five weeks in India. Joe Diaz and Greg Sullivan, dreamed up Afar on a beach in Goa more than 15 years ago. In this candid episode from our sister pod

Want to Get to the Soul of Switzerland? Jump Into a River.

Not only can you swim in the rivers of Bern and Basel— but thousands of locals regularly take the plunge. From a morning commute to a relaxing weekend escape, discover ho

Only 10 People Have Walked Around the World—and One Dog.

Tom Turcich and his dog, Savannah, completed their world walk in 2022. On this week’s episode of Travel Tales, we hear their story. We first talked with Tom and Savannah

A Cross-Country Road Trip Helped Make the World Safer (and More Fun!) for Queer Travelers

Road trips are such funny things. They allow more room for whimsy and spontaneity. They can inspire frank conversation, sitting side by side with someone, looking out at

I Traveled the World With President Obama. Now, I Help Give Young Women the Same Chance.

Deesha Dyer never thought she’d wind up in the White House. As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, she desperately wanted to travel but it always felt out of reach. Until s

When Zebras Taught Me to Drive in Namibia

Imagine this: You’re slowly driving through Etosha National Park, Namibia’s renowned conservation area. There are elephants and zebras and antelopes and lions all around

Is This Europe’s Most Underrated Food Tradition?

Some of our favorite travel moments are the ones you’d never in a million years expect. These are where the best travel stories are born. And this week, Afar’s executive