Unpacked by AFAR

Money is often a taboo subject in our culture, but it has a huge impact on our lives, our futures, and yes, our travels. Danielle Desir Corbett—our guest this week—works to dispel myths and encourage transparency on her podcast, The Thought Card, and her website, thoughtcard.com, where she even posts breakdowns for the many trips she's taken. In the episode, she shares her annual travel budget, her tips on budgeting in a way that is in alignment with what you truly value, and tools that can help you navigate finances without getting totally bogged down. Best yet: She’s found that by using these tools over the years, she’s been able to travel more than ever before—and still accomplish her financial goals. Meet this week’s guest Danielle Desir Corbett, podcaster and author Resources Read a full transcript of the episode. Listen to Danielle’s podcast, The Thought Card. Check out her website for tips on personal finance and travel, plus posts about trip costs around the world. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

In season three of Unpacked, we're introducing "Unpacking," a series that explores some of our favorite destinations around the world. First up: Albuquerque, land of hot air balloons, chiles, and some fantastic outdoor spaces.Join host Aislyn Greene as she unpacks the Southwestern city's outdoorsy roots. Meet this week’s guests Sarah Sheasley, director of marketing for Los Poblanos Elaine Briseño, journalist and historian Terry Brunner, the Director of the city of Albuquerque’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Justin de la Rosa, a local food writer and director of outlets for the Sawmill Market Dylan Storment, director of wine and spirits at Los Poblanos Missy Begay, cofounder of Bow & Arrow Brewing Bill Stimmel, the entrepreneurial director at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Murray Conrad, hot air balloon pilot and owner of World Balloon My Albuquerque itinerary Where I ate, stayed, and played. Hotels Book a stay at Los Poblanos Book a stay at Hotel Chaco Restaurants El Patio Mesa Provisions Coda Bakery Campo at Los Poblanos Level 5 at Hotel Chaco Farm & Table Bow & Arrow Brewing Old Town Farm Activities Take a bike and taco tour with Routes Tour the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Visit the Paseo del Bosque Take a tram up Sandia Peak Fly with World Balloon If you want to hear more of the flamenco episode you hear at the top of the episode, see a show at Tablao Flamenco Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

The issue of homelessness—or being unhoused, or facing housing scarcity—isn’t something we often talk about when it comes to travel, unless it’s in a negative sense.In this episode, however, we’re going to meet a London-based tour company that’s working on bringing homelessness into the tourism narrative. It’s called Unseen Tours, a nonprofit founded in 2010 by Jayni Gudka. It offers London tours that touch on many of the city’s most popular sites and neighborhoods—Soho, King’s Cross—with a twist: They’re led by individuals who were once homeless.But the tours are not poverty tourism. They’re history-rich, city-focused walking excursions led by people with a very special kind of knowledge. Meet this week’s guests Rachel Parsons, journalist Nic Shaw, guide with Unseen Tours Jayni Gudka, CEO of Unseen Tours Resources Read a full transcript of the episode. Book a tour with Unseen Tours. Follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to AFAR’s YouTube channel for a full video of the conversation. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

The world of travel loyalty programs is . . . complicated. Last year, Delta made waves when it announced that it was making radical changes to its SkyMiles program. People very quickly—and this is the technical term—freaked the eff out. So, Delta swiftly (and wisely) backpedaled. But as I learned from this week’s expert, Paul Rubio, this isn’t the only airline that has made less-than-positive changes. Delta just took the heat. Drama! It’s just the first of many (many) things related to travel loyalty programs that we'll learn about from Paul, a points and miles wizard. You may remember him from season two, when he shared his vast knowledge about the world of travel credit cards. And in today’s episode, he does the same for airline and hotel loyalty programs. We start off exploring why it’s worth joining these programs—and it definitely is, and it definitely doesn’t have to take up your whole life—and which programs are best for both airline and hotel points. Then we dive deeper into how to maximize them, and how best to use them, including when you should buy points and whenyou should not. It’s a pretty complex topic, but Paul has done all the legwork so that we don’t have to—as you can tell by the very long list of resources below. Meet this week's guest: Paul Rubio, points and miles expert. Resources The recent changes to American Airlines' reward program. The recent changes to Southwest's reward program. The recent changes to United's reward program. Delta's amended changes to its award program. Paul's Tumi and Rimowa suitcase reviews. Our guide to the World of Hyatt program. How and when to buy points for hotels. When to buy points for airlines. How to get VIP rewards for credit cards. How to use loyalty points for charitable donations. How to use Points.Me. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

There’s a special magic to being at sea. Watching a port retreat as a ship begins to sail, the sensation of gently (or not so gently) rocking waves, the expansiveness of open water.This week’s episode is all about that magic, whether you would label yourself a “cruiser” or not. To get the scoop on the high seas, we’re hearing from Fran Golden, who covers the cruise world for AFAR. Fran is a bonafide cruise expert. She’s been on more than 170 ships (at times, she’s taken up to 12 cruises a year), she’s written several books on cruising, and she loves every minute of it. She shares her favorite itineraries for 2024 (including a sail along the western coast of Africa), the best cruise lines for every traveler (from small, casual sailboats to luxurious ocean liners), and tips and tricks for finding a good deal, even if you’re a solo traveler. There are plenty of surprises, too: Fran gets seasick, for one. So she has excellent advice for anyone who goes green around the gills at the thought of stepping on a ship. And she talks a lot about sustainability, which is a key focus for the cruise industry right now, and for us here at AFAR. Meet this week’s guest Fran Golden, cruise expert Resources Explore Fran’s cruise stories on AFAR.com. Follow Fran on Instagram. Read the transcript of the episode. Subscribe to AFAR’s YouTube channel for a full video of the conversation. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

We're three weeks into the new year. Maybe you're a freshly minted, idealized version of yourself. Or maybe your new year's resolutions are as distant as the icebergs of Antarctica. But no matter what your life looks like, there's one thing you can count on: travel. And today, we're going to talk about the best places to travel this year, whether you want to chase eclipses, drink Uruguayan wine, or discover the coolest cities in Europe. Every year, AFAR puts out an annual "Where to Go" list in the magazine and online. And this year is no exception. From the peat bogs of Estonia to the kite festivals of Weifang, China, to the waters of Fiji, this year's list of 25 places is robust, thoughtful, and deeply inspiring. (Not that we're biased or anything . . . . ) In this episode, the three editors who helped craft the list join host Aislyn Greene to talk about how and why they chose the places on the list, which ones they have personally visited, and their predictions for the year ahead. Meet this week’s guests Sarika Bansal, AFAR editorial director Billie Cohen, AFAR executive editor Tim Chester, AFAR deputy editor Resources Explore all 25 destinations on our “Where to Go in 2024” list. Read the transcript of the episode. Subscribe to AFAR’s YouTube channel for our *brand new* podcast videos. Read our local's guide to Toronto. Check our Toronto guide. Listen to our episode about travel insurance. Explore our feature story about Oman. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

It's a fresh new year! And we all know that this also means that there's a fresh year of travel to plan, discoveries to be made, and adventures to be had. And Unpacked by AFAR is here for you every step of the way. AFAR editors will share the places they're dreaming of visiting this year. A cruise expert will unveil the best places to cruise in 2024, as well as the best cruise lines to sail with, even if you're not a cruiser. (And a little hint: These companies are more sustainable than ever.) We'll reveal the best ways to use and accrue air and hotel rewards, how to build a travel budget, deal with awkward plane encounters, and so much more. And this season on Unpacked by AFAR, we're going farther than ever (literally) in our new series "Unpacking." Host Aislyn Greene is visiting some of our favorite places in the world and reporting back, meeting with the locals who define these places and sharing tips on how to best explore them. So join us every Thursday beginning January 18th. Because the travel world is complicated. We're here to help you unpack it. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales by AFAR, a series of first-person stories about the trips that change our lives.

Winter is coming. (But not in a threatening, Game of Thrones-y kind of way.) So this week on Unpacked, AFAR’s mighty destination team is helping you prepare. We talk dreamy winter destinations, how to repurpose winter gear, the best time to fly during the holidays, and so much more. Meet this week’s guests Mark Ellwood, freelance travel writer Chloe Arrojado, associate destinations editor Tim Chester, deputy destinations editor Resources Read this episode’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode. Explore our ideas for where to go in November. And explore our ideas forwhere to go in December.

Christophe Zajac-Denek is an actor, a podcaster, a traveler—and he’s 4 feet 4 inches tall. On this week’s episode of Unpacked, he shares how being a person with dwarfism has never stopped him from exploring the world. Meet this week’s guests Nicolle (Nikki) Galteland, Unpacked producer Christophe Zajac-Denek, actor, surfer, and podcast host Resources Read this episode’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode. Listen to Christophe’s podcast, I’m Kind of a Big Deal. Watch Christophe's documentary, Standing on Water, about surfing and dwarfism, which was just awarded "best short" at the Jersey Surf Film Festival. Listen to Nikki's podcast, Looters, a sci-fi western role-playing podcast.

You may use Google Maps every day, but how often do you think about how that map was made—and more importantly, who made it? In today’s episode of Unpacked, we do just that. You’ll never again look at a map the same way. Meet this week’s guests Billie Cohen, AFAR executive editor Evan Applegate, editorial cartographer Clinton Johnson, Antiracist Geospatial Architect Dr. Atyia Martin, executive director of a nonprofit called Next Development Leadership (among many other things) Cymone Davis, former town manager of Tullahassee, Oklahoma, the oldest historically Black town in Oklahoma. Resources Read this episode’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode. Listen to Evan’s podcast, Very Expensive Maps, and check out the maps he makes. See Clinton's National Geographic Explorer award. Explore Cymone and Dr. Martin’s Black Towns & Settlements Project. Don't forget to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic. And a special thanks to our September sponsor, Explore Asheville.