Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly

How to See Thailand’s Wonders Without Feeling Like a Tourist

Travel journalist Kathryn Romeyn shares how to find Thailand off the beaten path—from Nan Province night markets to Khao Sok's rainforest—plus the best time to visit Thai

Sana Javeri Kadri's Regenerative Spice Farming Revolution

The spices in your cabinet are probably five to seven years old—and that's not an accident. On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene sits down with Sana Javeri Ka

For a Crowd-Free African Safari, Head for Tanzania's Southern Circuit

An African safari doesn't have to mean a traffic jam. On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene travels to Tanzania's southern circuit—visiting two parks most first

What We Lose When a Language Dies

By the end of this century, half of the world's 7,000 languages could be gone. On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene hands the mic to travel writer Lucy Kehoe f

Five Questions for the Man Who Walked a Fault Line in Japan by Feel

This kind of Japan travel doesn't show up in guidebooks. In January 2024, a major earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula, lifting the seabed 15 feet into the air and exposi

Why Women's Travel Writing Matters More Than Ever

For the past several decades, writer and editor Lavinia Spalding has championed women's travel writing. She's helmed seven editions of the Best Women's Travel Writing—the

This Is One of the Best Architecture Cities in America

Buffalo, New York might be the greatest architecture city you've never heard of. In the fourth and final episode of our Unpacked by Afar series, we explore how this Rust

Hallowed Ground: The Street at the Heart of Buffalo's Black History

For 185 years, some of the most important chapters of American history have unfolded on a few blocks of Buffalo's East Side. In the third episode of our four-part Unpacke

Asheville Hiking, Waterfalls, and the Oldest Mountains on Earth | The Travel Guide

This is the final stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina, and we’re heading for the trees. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Greene

Asheville Food and the Growth of a Farm-to-Table Town | The Travel Guide

This is the fourth stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina, and it may be the tastiest one yet. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Gr

Black Mountain and the Region's Creative Soul | The Travel Guide

This is the third stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina, and it takes us just outside the city to the small mountain town of Black Mountain, Nort

Asheville Wellness and 150 Years of the Mountain Cure | The Travel Guide

This is the second stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina, and it reaches back a lot further than you might expect. In this episode of Unpacked by

Asheville History and the Making of a Mountain City | The Travel Guide

Welcome to the first stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina. And where better to start than at the beginning? In this episode of Unpacked by Afar,

The City of Good Neighbors: A Buffalo Travel Story of Arrival and Belonging

Buffalo, New York has called itself the City of Good Neighbors since 1940, and in 2023 Reader's Digest even voted it the nicest city in America. But is it true? In this e

Beyond the Wing: How Buffalo's Food Scene Quietly Became One of America's Best

Everybody knows Buffalo, New York, for the chicken wing. Fewer people know the real story behind the wing—or the full story of Buffalo's food scene, which is grounded in

Following the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail—and the Story It Left Out

Welcome to Unpacked Five Questions, a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of one great travel story. In this episode, executive editor Katherine LaGrave sits down wi

Queer Travel Is About Joy, Not Just Safety

LGBTQ+ Americans are more than twice as likely as the general population to hold a valid passport. That stat sits at the heart of (Out )on the Road: The Radical Joy of Qu

Travel to Listen: Everyone Knows Motown. Not Everyone Knows Its Story

Welcome to Travel to Listen, a new Unpacked series hosted by veteran music journalist Tim Chester. Over four episodes, Tim took us into the cities where music is more tha

Feel-Good Friday: The Viral World Cup Food Obsession and a Very American Bourbon

It’s the last Feel-Good Friday before host Aislyn and producer Nikki take a summer break. And they’re sending the season off with two of summer’s great pleasures: a viral

Why a Michigan Road Trip Might Be the Best Way to Build a Friendship

On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland hit the road in Michigan and find epic adventures, gorgeous waterways—and a new way to connec