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Today I’m joined by entrepreneur, TV personality and crafting queen, Sara Davies. Sara founded Crafter’s Companion while she was still at university, turning an idea into an international, multimillion-pound crafting business. She went on to become the youngest-ever female investor on BBC One’s Dragons’ Den, was awarded an MBE for services to the economy, and swapped the boardroom for the ballroom on Strictly Come Dancing. We recorded this episode a few weeks ago in central London, and Sara was such a lovely person to spend time with, with an infectious enthusiasm for travel. And her travel diaries are full of adventure. We’re heading from the beaches of the Scottish islands in a campervan built by her dad and trekking on the great wall of china to the northern lights in Norway and the backstreets of Kyoto. Destination recap: Yorkshire Dales, EnglandLake District, EnglandIsle of Skye, ScotlandFidden Farm Campsite, Isle of Mull, ScotlandFairy Pools, Isle of Skye, ScotlandDalby Forest, North Yorkshire, EnglandWray Castle, Lake Windermere, EnglandUllswater, Lake District, EnglandPooley Bridge, Cumbria, EnglandPark Foot Holiday Park, Ullswater, EnglandUllswater Wake & Surf, Cumbria, EnglandTromsø, NorwaySommarøy, NorwayBergen, NorwayAlta, NorwayIce Hotel, Alta, NorwayOslo, NorwayDenmarkLapland, FinlandNorwegian Fjords, NorwaySouthampton, EnglandP&O Cruises Iona, Norwegian FjordsCaribbeanTokyo, JapanShinjuku Station, Tokyo, JapanKyoto, JapanTokyo Skytree, JapanOkinawa, JapanOsaka, JapanJapanese Alps, JapanGreat Wall of China, Beijing, ChinaHimalayas, IndiaDelhi, IndiaBrecon Beacons, WalesGreeceTurkeyCroatiaSicily, ItalyPeligoni, Zakynthos, GreeceRiver Ganges, Varanasi, IndiaDelhi, IndiaTaj Mahal, Agra, IndiaWest Coast, USAYosemite National Park, California, USA Sara's new book Crafting For All Occasions is out now. And don’t forget to check out her podcast, Mind Your Business wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to... SANI - Discover what’s new at Sani Resort for 2027, including stunning new family suites and exclusive early booking offers, with savings of up to 15%. Explore the offers here. UNA - Discover your next Italian short break with UNA Italian Hospitality at unaitalianhospitality.com If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. I’ll be back on Sunday with a new episode of Unpacked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, your weekend dose of wanderlust. I’m Holly Rubenstein, and today I’m joined by travel and design editor Amira Hashish, founder of creative studio Rapport, who spent 12 years at the Evening Standard, where she was executive editor. From antiques hunting in Nice to finding the quieter side of Capri, we’re exploring some of her favourite escapes, with a little Florence inspiration and insider tips for making the most of three days in LA. Plus, I’m sharing my family-friendly Hotel of the Week. Destination Recap: Nice, FranceSanta Fe, New Mexico, USAHudson, New York, USAJoshua Tree, California, USAFlorence, ItalyMilan, ItalyMexico City, MexicoArrowtown, South Island, New ZealandSilverton, Colorado, USACapri, ItalyNaples, ItalyMarina Grande, CapriAnacapri, CapriThe Grove, Hertfordshire, EnglandFour Seasons Hotel Hampshire, EnglandRome, ItalyLos Angeles, California, USAWest Hollywood, Los AngelesSilver Lake, Los AngelesLa Brea, Los AngelesLarchmont, Los AngelesMalibu, CaliforniaSanta Monica, CaliforniaAbbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice, Los AngelesVenice, Los AngelesDowntown Los AngelesGriffith Park and Griffith Observatory, Los AngelesPasadena, CaliforniaPalm Springs, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, CaliforniaMontecito, CaliforniaBrooklyn, New York, USACopacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilSplendido, Portofino, Italy A huge thank you to Amira for joining me, and leaving us with quite the travel wish list! Find out more about Amira's work at Club Rapport. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host I’ll be back on Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by the iconic Celia Imrie. Celia is, of course, one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, with an extraordinary career spanning more than five decades. From her unforgettable collaborations with Victoria Wood, to Bridget Jones’s Diary, Calendar Girls, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and, more recently, The Thursday Murder Club. She's one of those performers who has been part of our lives for as long as I can remember. But what you might not know about Celia is that she is a completely insatiable traveller. She's happiest when she's on the move, whether that's aboard a glamorous ocean liner, travelling across America by train or setting off on an adventure somewhere entirely unexpected - because as you’ll soon discover, Celia doesn’t fly, so this makes for a particularly interesting episode. Her lifelong love of travel is at the heart of her new book, The Elegant Hustler: Adventures from a Life on the Move, which is out now, a collection of stories from a life spent exploring the world. Destination recap Middleton-on-Sea, West Sussex, EnglandUdaipur, Rajasthan, IndiaJaipur, Rajasthan, IndiaDelhi, IndiaMelbourne, AustraliaSydney, AustraliaLos Angeles, California, USAWashington, D.C., USAToronto, CanadaSingaporeParis, FranceSainte-Chapelle, Paris, FranceNice, FranceHôtel Negresco, Nice, FranceVilleneuve-Loubet, FranceMenton, FranceMonte Carlo, MonacoIsle of Wight, EnglandSouthampton, EnglandQueen Mary 2, Cunard, Southampton to New YorkNew York City, USACoast-to-coast railway journey, USASan Luis Obispo, California, USALos Angeles, California, USAIce hotel, NorwayJapanChina The Elegant Hustler: Adventures from a Life on the Move, which is now. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Design & Travel Editor, Amira Hashish, With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by the brilliant Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director at The Standard, whose job involves knowing exactly where’s worth going and what’s worth your precious time off. And there’s so much inspiration in this conversation. If you’re already dreading the clocks going back, Suzannah has some very tempting ideas for extending your summer, with a little help from her Spanish family connections. There’s the seaside spot she returns to again and again, and a food-filled Italian escape that had me mentally checking flights before we’d finished talking. We also hear how a rather adventurous first meeting led to some extraordinary dates around the world, including a trip to New Orleans, which ties in beautifully with this week’s Louisiana Destination Special. And my Hotel of the Week is a Greek island favourite that promises to solve a few of those familiar family holiday dilemmas. Having finally been myself, I’ve got plenty to tell you. Destination Recap: New Orleans, Louisiana, USAInns of Aurora, Aurora, USAPeligoni, Zakynthos, GreeceVilla Kallista, Zakynthos, GreeceNobelos Bio Restaurant, Zakynthos, GreeceEliamos, Kefalonia, GreecePiazza Maggiore, Bologna, ItalyCremeria Santo Stefano, Bologna, ItalyCremeria La Vecchia Stalla, Bologna, ItalyCremeria Cavour, Bologna, ItalyPalacio Bucarelli, Seville, SpainCristine Bedfor, Seville, SpainRoyal Alcázar, Seville, SpainSeville Cathedral, Seville, SpainPlaza de España, Seville, SpainMaría Luisa Park, Seville, SpainTriana, Seville, SpainLa Viña, Cádiz, SpainCasa Manteca, Cádiz, SpainLa Caleta, Cádiz, SpainJerez de la Frontera, SpainSeoul, South Korea If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host I’ll be back on Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the jazz clubs and Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans to the swamps, dance halls and small towns of Acadiana, this Destination Special explores a side of Louisiana, USA that many visitors never get to see. We travel west along Interstate 10 into the heart of Cajun and Creole country, a region shaped by its French language, distinctive music, extraordinary food and deep connection to the surrounding bayous. Louisiana travel and culture writer Herman Fuselier shares the traditions behind Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras, introduces the sounds of Cajun and Zydeco music, and explains why the true heart of Cajun country lies beyond New Orleans. Cajun French musician Jourdan Thibodeaux joins me from his home on Cypress Island, overlooking the Atchafalaya Basin. We discuss language, identity, life in the swamp and the importance of experiencing South Louisiana authentically. Finally, Lori Johnson Walls of Johnson’s Boucanière in Lafayette introduces the dishes every first-time visitor should try, from crawfish étouffée and po’boys to beignets and a proper Louisiana boudin. Destination RecapCities, towns and regions New Orleans, USABaton Rouge, USAAcadiana, USAAtchafalaya Basin, USALafayette, USABreaux Bridge, USAOpelousas, USAEunice, USANew Iberia, USALake Charles, USASunset, USAArnaudville, USAWashington, USACypress Island, USAHenderson, USAMamou, USAAvery Island, USAVacherie, USAPlaces mentionedNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, USAFrench Quarter, New Orleans, USACafé du Monde, New Orleans, USAEunice Cajun Mardi Gras, Eunice, USALa Poussière Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, USABreaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Breaux Bridge, USAEl Sido’s Zydeco & Blues Club, Lafayette, USAFestivals Acadiens et Créoles, Lafayette, USAJohnson’s Boucanière, Lafayette, USADwyer’s Café, Lafayette, USAPoor Boy’s Riverside Inn, Lafayette, USAOlde Tyme Grocery, Lafayette, USABorden’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Lafayette, USAOriginal Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, Opelousas, USADezMeaux’s Boudin, Opelousas, USASteamboat Warehouse Restaurant, Washington, USAHotel Klaus, Washington, USAFred’s Lounge, Mamou, USACypress Cove Landing Houseboats, Henderson, USATABASCO Factory and Avery Island, Avery Island, USALaura Plantation, Vacherie, USA To find out more about visiting Louisiana, go to ExploreLouisiana.com. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director for The Standard. With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, I’m joined by Sarah Allard, Digital Director of Condé Nast Traveller, for your weekly weekend dose of wanderlust. Sarah’s job takes her to some extraordinary places, and today she’s sharing the trips, hotels and foodie finds she thinks should be on your radar. We start with the growing appeal of Northern Europe, including the Danish island of Bornholm, before heading to New York for her 40th birthday celebrations. Expect bagels, martinis and a few days in the Hudson Valley, where pretty towns, farm shops and gorgeous hotels make the perfect contrast to Manhattan. We’re also talking Greek island favourites, from the spectacular restaurant setting that won Sarah over on Sifnos to a new hotel on Paros. My Hotel of the Week is Monastero Santa Rosa on the Amalfi Coast, where I found what might just be my favourite swimming pool in the world. And if you’re looking for somewhere closer to home this autumn, Sarah answers a listener’s question about cosy British boutique stays, with two delicious recommendations in Somerset and Devon. Destination Recap SwedenFinlandThe Lofoten Islands, NorwayBornholm, DenmarkNew York City, USAThe Hudson Valley, New York, USAINNESS, Accord, New York, USAThe Catskills, New York, USAWildflower Farms, Auberge Collection, Gardiner, New York, USARhinebeck, New York, USAAthens, GreeceSifnos, GreeceFaros, Sifnos, GreeceNÓS Hotel & Villas, Sifnos, GreeceParos, GreeceLuura Paros Cliff, Paros, GreeceSantorini, GreeceMykonos, GreeceGleneagles, Auchterarder, ScotlandThe Amalfi Coast, ItalyMonastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa, Conca dei Marini, ItalyAmalfi, ItalyPositano, ItalyCapri, ItalyBruton, Somerset, EnglandNumber One Bruton, Bruton, EnglandAt the Chapel, Bruton, EnglandGlebe House, East Devon, EnglandIndiaThe River Nile, EgyptOne&Only Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, Montana, USAEdinburgh, ScotlandGlasgow, ScotlandThe Scottish Highlands, ScotlandHope by WildLand, Sutherland, Scotland If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. You can also send me your travel questions for a future episode of Unpacked at [email protected] With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is returning to the podcast after 5 years! TV presenter, adventurer and explorer Steve Backshall is one of the most travelled people in the world, and one of the best story tellers - so he is the ultimate Travel Diaries guest. Just listening back to his first episode in preparation for today was a reminder of what an amazing episode that was - if you haven’t listened to that scroll back and listen to that first, because his life is so interesting, and then come back and listen to this one! It was so lovely to meet him in person this time, just last week. We filmed this in London, and it was really good fun putting some of your new travel diaries chapters to him - his answers were sensational. When somebody has been to this many places it's hard to know where to start, but I think that you're going to be absolutely captivated by Steve's stories, as I was. So from Suriname to the Scilly Isles, Jerusalem to Alaska, and so much more, here’s Steve. **Listeners - there's a strange video with the loading of Apple Podcasts' video today, so I'm reuploading this as an audio only file until it resolves.** Destination recap West Cornwall, EnglandLand’s End, EnglandSouth AfricaSurinameAlaska, USAJuneau, USAThe Azores, PortugalDominicaColombiaPapua New GuineaNew Britain, Papua New GuineaNew Ireland, Papua New GuineaNew CaledoniaYucatán, MexicoCancún, MexicoTulum, MexicoBimini, The BahamasThe Isles of Scilly, EnglandSt Martin’s, Isles of ScillyJerusalemTel Aviv, IsraelThe Negev Desert, IsraelKyrgyzstanNortheast Greenland, Greenland Steve’s Deadly Live tour begins in October. Find out more here. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Conde Nast Traveller’s Digital Director, Sarah Allard. With thanks to... Kimpton Los Monteros - a five-star hotel for discovering the best of Marbella. Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by travel writer, author and photographer, Luke Abrahams. Luke is one of the UK's most prolific travel journalists, having been to 30 countries this year alone, and he's about to release a new book, The Luxury Travel Book: 25 personal experiences that make you rethink the world and your place in it. These are stories that make you rethink the beauty of life and the mastery of human creativity, and it is packed full of his beautiful photography too. We'll be unpacking Ruthie Rogers' bucket list destination, Kyoto; reflecting on my Hotel of the Week, Casa Angelina; chatting about Luke's recent trip to Ladakh in Northern India, and answering your listener question. Destination Recap The Shinmonzen, Kyoto, JapanPark Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto, JapanSowaka, Kyoto, JapanTokyo, JapanOkinawa, JapanOsaka, JapanHotel Lo Scoglio, Nerano, ItalyThe Amalfi Coast, ItalyRavello, ItalyCasa Angelina, Praiano, ItalyPositano, ItalyCapri, ItalyLe Sirenuse, Positano, ItalyThe Path of the Gods, Amalfi Coast, ItalyScala, ItalyLadakh, IndiaShakti Ladakh, Ladakh, IndiaKargil, IndiaThe Imperial New Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaLeh, IndiaParo, BhutanGenghis Khan Retreat, Orkhon Valley, MongoliaUlaanbaatar, MongoliaKazakhstanTajikistan Luke's new book, The Luxury Travel Book: Extraordinary experiences money can't buy is available for pre-order here. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host I’ll be back on Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is one of the most influential figures in British food. Ruthie Rogers is the chef and co-founder of The River Cafe, the legendary Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Hammersmith, which she opened with Rose Gray in 1987. Over nearly four decades, The River Cafe has completely transformed the way we eat and think about Italian food in this country, and its kitchens have helped launch the careers of some of Britain’s best-known chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Theo Randall and April Bloomfield. But Ruthie’s influence extends far beyond the restaurant. She’s the author of numerous much-loved cookbooks and the host of the hugely successful podcast Ruthie’s Table 4, where an extraordinary guest list, from Paul McCartney and Elton John to David Beckham, Tony Blair and Nancy Pelosi, share the food memories that have shaped their lives. The podcast has now inspired her beautiful new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life. And it turns out that food memories and travel memories have a great deal in common. Both can transport us instantly back to a particular person, place or moment in our lives.  I joined Ruthie at The River Cafe on a gloriously sunny summers day. Her travel diaries today take us from Cuba and Mexico to Maine and Marrakech, as well as her beloved Italy and the beautiful rhythm of family life she created with her late husband, the architect Richard Rogers, with summers in Tuscany, winters exploring the world and an almost constant desire to plan the next adventure. Destination Recap: Havana, CubaHotel Lungarno, Florence, ItalyCamino Real, Mexico City, MexicoContramar, Mexico City, MexicoNiddo, Mexico City, MexicoOaxaca, MexicoPuerto Escondido, MexicoHuatulco, MexicoChichén Itzá, Yucatán, MexicoUxmal, Yucatán, MexicoMonte Albán, Oaxaca, MexicoPalermo, Sicily, ItalyNaples, ItalyLo Scoglio, Marina del Cantone, ItalyAmalfi Coast, ItalyRavello, ItalyCapri, ItalyVernazza, Cinque Terre, ItalyTrattoria Gianni Franzi, Vernazza, ItalySanta Margherita Ligure, ItalyPortofino, ItalyBelmond Hotel Cipriani, Venice, ItalyYork, Maine, USAMarrakech, MoroccoTaroudant, MoroccoTafraoute, MoroccoEssaouira, MoroccoFez, MoroccoThe Shinmonzen, Kyoto, Japan You can listen to Ruthie’s Table 4, wherever you get your podcasts. Her new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life is available now. I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.  With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host Citalia - Discover the real Italy with Citalia, the UK’s leading Italian holiday specialists. Let the Italy Experts craft the perfect holiday for you and experience Italy like a Citalian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, I’m joined by Lauren Ho, one of the world’s most well-travelled luxury hotel experts. Lauren is Travel Director of Wallpaper*, a contributing editor at Country & Town House and the Academy Chair for Western Europe for The World’s 50 Best Hotels. Recorded just days after this year’s list was revealed in Paris, Lauren shares her reaction to the results, why Asian hotels continue to dominate the top 10 and which new entries she was particularly pleased to see recognised. We also journey to AlUla in Saudi Arabia, where ancient Nabataean tombs, dramatic desert landscapes and extraordinary new hotels are putting the destination firmly on the travel map. Lauren shares her recent stay at Six Senses Amaala on the Red Sea and takes us inside her trip to Georgia, from the hidden corners of Tbilisi to Kakheti’s vineyards and traditional amber wine. My Hotel of the Week is the newly restored Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, overlooking the impossibly beautiful harbour of Portofino. Plus, in our listener Q&A, Lauren recommends the perfect luxurious but not completely bank-breaking destination for a special family celebration. Destination Recap The Peninsula Paris, Paris, FranceRosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaMandarin Oriental, Bangkok, Bangkok, ThailandChablé Yucatán, Chocholá, MexicoUpper House Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaMandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing, ChinaRosewood São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilPassalacqua, Lake Como, ItalyAtlantis The Royal, Dubai, UAEFour Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok, ThailandCapella Bangkok, Bangkok, ThailandAmangiri, Canyon Point, Utah, USAMonument Valley, USAAlUla, Saudi ArabiaBanyan Tree AlUla, AlUla, Saudi ArabiaOur Habitas AlUla, AlUla, Saudi ArabiaThe Chedi Hegra, Hegra, Saudi ArabiaPetra, JordanThe Peninsula Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaFORESTIS, Brixen, ItalyVilla Treville, Positano, ItalyCarlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, Cannes, FranceSplendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino, ItalySix Senses Amaala, AMAALA, Saudi ArabiaRosewood Amaala, AMAALA, Saudi ArabiaTbilisi, GeorgiaThe Telegraph Hotel, Tbilisi, GeorgiaKakheti, GeorgiaEstelle Manor, The Cotswolds, England Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is one of Britain’s funniest, most distinctive and most beloved writers, Caitlin Moran. Caitlin began writing her first book at just 13, was published at 16, and became an award-winning Times columnist and the bestselling author of books including How to Be a Woman, More Than a Woman and What About Men? Her brilliant new book is called How to Be Hopeful, and it begins with a feeling I think many of us will recognise: that the world has become overwhelming and the only reasonable solution might be to run away and start an entirely new life somewhere else. In Caitlin’s case, that meant fantasising about a self-sufficient farmhouse in the Welsh mountains, until she discovered quite how expensive Welsh farmhouses actually are. So what happens next?  From her wonderfully feral childhood summers she spent living with her seven siblings in a tiny caravan in Wales to a romantic road trip through the Scottish Highlands; the lavish trip to Antigua that taught her luxury travel wasn’t necessarily for her; and why Corfu remains the island she returns to again and again, and much much more, here are the Travel Diaries of Caitlin Moran. Destination Recap: Tregaron, WalesStrata Florida Abbey, WalesYnyslas, WalesUllapool, ScotlandRannoch Moor, ScotlandCornwall, EnglandAntigua and BarbudaTenby, WalesKassiopi, Corfu, GreecePaxos, GreeceAntipaxos, GreeceIcelandJapanese Alps, JapanTokyo, JapanAbergavenny, WalesBannau Brycheiniog, WalesFlorida, USAAustriaScandinavia Thanks so much for listening today. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.  I’ll be back on Sunday with The Travel Diaries: Unpacked and our guest, World’s 50 Best Hotels European chair, and travel journalist, Lauren Ho. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.  With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host Hotels with History podcast - Hotels with History is a podcast hosted by actor Richard E. Grant and travel & hospitality expert Jules Perowne, uncovering the scandals, legends and surprising stories behind the world's most legendary hotels. Search Hotels with History wherever you get your podcasts  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to our very first episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, your weekend travel fix.  Today I’m joined by the fabulous John O'Ceallaigh. John is a travel journalist and consultant to luxury hospitality brands, who previously served as the luxury travel editor for The Telegraph for nearly a decade. We'll be unpacking Nisha's bucket list destination, China; reflecting on my Hotel of the Week, Six Senses London; chatting about John's recent trip to Azerbaijan, and answering your listener question. Destination Recap: ChinaBeijing, ChinaShanghai, ChinaYunnan, ChinaShangri-La, Yunnan, ChinaGanden Sumtseling Monastery, Shangri-La, ChinaYellow Mountain, Anhui, ChinaChengdu, Sichuan, ChinaSt Peter’s Basilica, Vatican CitySix Senses London, Bayswater, London, EnglandThe Whiteley, Bayswater, London, EnglandNotting Hill, London, EnglandDubai, United Arab EmiratesBaku, AzerbaijanCaspian Sea, AzerbaijanFairmont Baku, Flame Towers, Baku, AzerbaijanHeydar Aliyev Centre, Baku, AzerbaijanUzbekistanKhiva, UzbekistanSamarkand, UzbekistanRegistan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan All the destinations mentioned are included in the episode show notes and on thetraveldiariespodcast.com  If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.  With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host I’ll be back on Tuesday.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to a brand new season of The Travel Diaries. It’s great to be back! I couldn’t think of a more joyful guest to kick off the season than Nisha Katona. A former child protection barrister turned restaurateur, food writer and TV presenter, Nisha is the founder of the hugely successful Mowgli Street Food restaurants, the author of several cookbooks, including her newest release, The Curry Bible, and was a judge on the BBC’s Great British Menu.  In this episode, Nisha describes herself as a “culinary evangelist and anthropologist”, and food is the thread running through her extraordinary Travel Diaries. We journey from childhood holidays in Mallorca and the tastes that first awakened her curiosity, to Beijing, her ancestral home of Varanasi, the temples and night markets of Cambodia, and her love for the Amalfi Coast. Our conversation travelled far beyond holidays, taking in family, identity, faith, grief and the ways in which travel helps us understand both the world and ourselves. Destination Recap: Mallorca, SpainTaunus Therme, Bad Homburg, GermanyBeijing, ChinaForbidden City, Beijing, ChinaVaranasi, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaRiver Ganges, Varanasi, IndiaSiem Reap, CambodiaAngkor Wat, Siem Reap, CambodiaJeju Island, South KoreaAmalfi Coast, Campania, ItalyMount Vesuvius, Campania, ItalyPompeii, Campania, ItalyHerculaneum, Campania, ItalyParco dei Principi, Sorrento, ItalyPositano, Campania, ItalyRavello, Campania, ItalyCapri, Campania, ItalyLloret de Mar, Catalonia, SpainBlanes, Catalonia, SpainIbiza, SpainChinaJerusalem, Israel Nisha's fabulous new book, The Curry Bible, is out now.  Today’s conversation was filmed earlier this summer at the beautiful London Marriott Hotel County Hall, in the most spectacular room - The Big Ben Balcony Suite - overlooking the Thames and the Houses of Parliament. I’ll be back on Sunday with our first episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked with travel editor John O'Ceallaigh. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.  With thanks to... Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host Citalia - Discover the real Italy with Citalia, the UK’s leading Italian holiday specialists. Let the Italy Experts craft the perfect holiday for you and experience Italy like a Citalian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is, quite simply, one of the great travellers of our time. Sir Michael Palin first joined me on The Travel Diaries back in 2020, and that episode went on to become one of our most loved and most listened-to conversations ever. So when the opportunity came up for him to return to the podcast, this time to mark the publication of his new book, In Nigeria, I absolutely leapt at the chance. For anyone listening who might not be fully familiar with Sir Michael Palin’s extraordinary career, he first became known as one of the members of Monty Python, before going on to become one of the world’s most beloved travel broadcasters and writers. His landmark BBC travel series, from Around the World in 80 Days to Pole to Pole, Full Circle, Himalaya and so many more, completely changed the way travel was brought to our screens. I went to Michael’s house in London to film the interview and you’ll be able to watch the full conversation on YouTube and Spotify this weekend. On today’s episode, we talk about some of the extraordinary journeys he’s been on since we last spoke, from Nigeria to Iraq, Venezuela and the Philippines. We talk about the places that surprised him, the countries that defied their reputation, the journeys that have stayed with him, and the places he still dreams of visiting. And, because Michael has already shared his original seven travel chapters with us, this time I asked you to send in some brand new travel chapters for him. So listen out, because one of your questions might just be in there. Holly’s stay: Palazzo Fiuggi, Italy  Destination Recap: VenezuelaPhilippinesNigeria, NigeriaLagos, NigeriaKano, NigeriaPort Harcourt, NigeriaIraq, IraqBabylon, IraqCuzco, PeruMachu Picchu, PeruIguazu Falls, Argentina/BrazilVictoria Falls, Zambia/ZimbabweRussia, RussiaMürren, SwitzerlandKamchatka, RussiaBhutanNepalThe Dolomites, ItalyArmenia, ArmeniaGeorgia, GeorgiaMount Ararat, Turkey/Armenia Michael's new book, In Nigeria, is out now. With thanks to Sani for their support of today's episode. Discover your paradise at Sani. For more information, visit sani-resort.com Thank you so much to all of you for listening this season. I really hope you’ve enjoyed travelling the world with me through all of these conversations. The good news is, it won’t be too long before I’m back. We’ve got another summer season coming your way in mid-August, so there are lots more travel stories to come very soon. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok at @hollyrubenstein, you can watch us on YouTube here. And have you checked out my brand new Travel Diaries map, which will save every single destination ever mentioned on the podcast? A very dangerous tool for anyone with a serious case of wanderlust? You can look at it here. Thank you again for listening, have a wonderful summer, and I’ll see you very soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before we get started, a quick warning: this episode contains spoilers. So if you haven’t finished watching the latest series of Race Across the World, I’d suggest turning off now and coming back once you have! Race Across the World is one of those shows that just gets under your skin, isn’t it? You start off thinking you’re watching a travel programme, and then suddenly you’re so emotionally invested in people trying to get across a border, find a cheap hostel, or make it onto a 29-hour train with no phone and barely any money. This season, five pairs travel over 12,000 kilometres, from Palermo in Sicily all the way to Hatgal in Mongolia, without smartphones, internet access, flights or bank cards, relying instead on instinct, kindness, grit and a lot of very long bus and train journeys. And at the heart of it all were today’s guests: best friends Jo and Kush from Liverpool, who not only won the series, but completely won over viewers along the way. Their friendship was such a joy to watch and there was something so lovely about seeing two young men support each other so openly through the highs and lows. What I loved about chatting to them is that Race Across the World has this brilliant sense of mystery around it. As a viewer, I’m always wondering how the show actually works. So in this episode, we really get into all of that. We talk about the audition process, the secrecy around winning, the budget, the homestays, the toilets, the borders, the long-distance trains, and what it’s really like travelling without your phone in your pocket.  And of course, we talk about the places too. From Sorrento and Naples, to Tbilisi in Georgia, the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, the vast landscapes of Kazakhstan, and the wild, icy beauty of Mongolia. Destination Recap: Palermo, Sicily, ItalySorrento, ItalyNaples, ItalyGreeceTürkiyeKars, TürkiyeGeorgiaTbilisi, GeorgiaAzerbaijanUzbekistanKyrgyzstanJalal-Abad, KyrgyzstanBishkek, KyrgyzstanKazakhstanKyzylorda, KazakhstanAlmaty, KazakhstanMongoliaUlaanbaatar, MongoliaHatgal, MongoliaLake Khövsgöl, MongoliaKathmandu, NepalPunjab, IndiaCentral IndiaSri LankaCosta RicaBrazilRio de Janeiro, Brazil With thanks to... Richard Haworth - Discover their luxury hotel-quality bedding, towels and table linen at Richard Haworth At Home Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.