Unpacked by AFAR

What will the Earth look like in seven years, as climate change progresses, and what we can do about it? That’s the premise of the PBS show Changing Planet, now in its second season, which is tracking six of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems over the course of seven years.  In season one, host M. Sanjayan—CEO of Conservation International—travels to the plains of Kenya and the rivers of California to explore the effects of climate change and meet the people fighting against them. In season two, which premiered on April 19, Sanjayan travels to Australia to meet with Aboriginal people training the government in traditional fire-burning practices. This week on Unpacked, we chat with Sanjayan about the importance of Indigenous wisdom, what each of us can do to help support the planet, and how he keeps going when despair looms. Resources Read this week’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode: https://www.afar.com/podcasts/unpacked/s2-e11-m-sanjayan-changing-planet Watch Changing Planet season 1 and season 2: https://www.pbs.org/show/changing-planet/ Find out more about Conservation International and how to donate: https://www.conservation.org/ Learn how to use carbon credits to offset your travels: https://www.afar.com/magazine/what-should-you-know-about-carbon-offsets

We’ve all been there: Tossing and turning on a long-haul flight, or in an unfamiliar hotel bed. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Enter Anne Bartolucci, a licensed psychologist and a certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist. She’s the founder of Atlanta Insomnia & Behavioral Health Services, P.C. and the author of Better Sleep for the Overachiever. In other words, she knows her sleep—and she specializes in helping people improve their sleep without medication.  In this week’s episode, host Aislyn Greene chats with Anne about the one thing everyone should bring on their next flight, the proper use of melatonin (turns out most of us don’t use it correctly), and yes, how to get a decent night’s sleep in a new destination.   Resources: Buy Anne's book on Amazon: https://geni.us/YgEIc Listen to the audio book: https://geni.us/z97HgaD Buy the book on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/2660/9781945074622 Explore her work at Atlanta Insomnia & Behavioral Health Services: https://www.sleepyintheatl.com/ Follow Anne on social media: https://www.instagram.com/psychupacademy/ https://www.facebook.com/psychupacademy

This week, we’re heading to Iceland—well, kinda. We’re actually exploring the Viking hearts of New Icelanders, from Gimli, Manitoba to Mountain, North Dakota. Two towns divided by a border, but forever linked by their surprisingly storied and deep Icelandic roots.  Liz Beatty, host of the North Americana podcast, will be our guide to foam swords, Icelandic folk songs no child should hear, and an epic Viking battle reenactment at Gimli’s annual Icelandic festival. We’ll also meet a real, live fjallkonan. Want to know what that means? Tune in to find out. Bonus: This week, we’re hosting travel trivia at the end of the episode! Resources: Read this week’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode. Look at photos and listen to the full tracks of the songs featured in the episode.  Visit Íslendingadagurinn, the Gimli Icelandic Festival, which takes place this year from August 4–7.

In early 2020, journalist Emily Pennington set out on a year-long road trip to visit all 62 national parks in the United States. A few months into her journey the pandemic struck, turning her life upside down. She chronicled it all in her new memoir, Feral (Little A, February 2023). In this episode, Emily shares her journey, what our national parks can represent (or not), and what kept her going when it seemed like the wheels were about to fall off, metaphorically speaking. Resources & book/audiobook links Follow Emily's adventures: https://brazenbackpacker.com/ Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/2660/9781542039710 Amazon: https://geni.us/inPj4 Audiobook: https://geni.us/4uQyqs

Kerala is one of the most striking states in southern India, with sandy beaches, lagoons, and cultural traditions that are magnets for travelers. But 15 years ago, tourism was taking its toll. Rice paddies were being destroyed to build resorts and hotels. Waste had become unmanageable. Locals weren’t benefiting economically. It’s a story that could’ve been a downward spiral, and yet it wasn’t.  In this week’s episode, journalist Paige McClanahan—host of the Better Travel Podcast—travels to Kerala to learn how the government responded and to witness the radical changes that followed. As she explores temples, kayaks through lagoons, and speaks with residents, she discovers that those changes have vastly improved the lives of locals (and travelers)—and could have a profound impact on communities around the world. Resources: This week’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode. Inspired to travel to Kerala? Check out the AFAR Guide to Kerala. And don’t miss out on one of the Village Life Experiences Paige explores in the episode. Meet this week’s guests: Paige McClanahan, host of the Better Travel Podcast Dr. Harold Goodwin, founder and director of the International Center for Responsible Tourism Rupesh Kumar, responsible tourism mission coordinator for the state of Kerala

In 2015, Tom Turcich—and his dog, Savannah—left his home to begin a walk around the world that would span 7 years, 28,000 miles, 38 countries, and 6 continents. Over the course of those years, he spoke to Jason Moore—host of the Zero to Travel podcast—three different times. And over the course of the next two episodes, we'll hear those conversations. If you haven't listened to part one, which we ran last week, we recommend you start there! In part two, Jason shares his first conversation with Tom, 15 months into the walk, and part of the second, about almost four years into the walk. Their conversations run from the logistics and reality (and pain!) of walking up to 20 miles every day to the lessons we can glean from these kind of journey—lesson that reveal what it means to be human. Follow Jason Moore: https://zerototravel.com/ Follow Tom Turcich (and Savannah): https://www.tomturcich.com/ And read the AFAR story that inspired the headline for this episode: https://www.afar.com/magazine/tom-turcich-and-the-world-walk

In 2015, Tom Turcich—and his dog, Savannah—left his home to begin a walk around the world that would span 7 years, 28,000 miles, 38 countries, and 6 continents. Over the course of those years, he spoke to Jason Moore—host of the Zero to Travel podcast—three different times. And over the course of the next two episodes, we'll hear those conversations. In part one, Jason shares his first conversation with Tom, 15 months into the walk, and part of the second, about almost four years into the walk. Their conversations run from the logistics and reality (and pain!) of walking up to 20 miles every day to the lessons we can glean from these kind of journey—lesson that reveal what it means to be human. Follow Jason Moore: https://zerototravel.com/ Follow Tom Turcich (and Savannah): https://www.tomturcich.com/ And read the AFAR story that inspired the headline for this episode: https://www.afar.com/magazine/tom-turcich-and-the-world-walk

We turn to travel for a thousand different things: Connection, adventure, vacation, learning, family, the list goes on. One element of life and travel we don’t often discuss is grief. But today, we’re going to. In this episode, Erin Hynes—host of the podcast Alpaca My Bags—shares the ways that we can use travel to navigate some of the more difficult elements of life. She shares her own story and interviews two experts with very different experiences around grief. Follow Erin: http://pinatravels.org/ https://www.instagram.com/pinatravels/ https://twitter.com/pinatravels Follow Zac: https://www.workinprogressto.ca/zac https://www.instagram.com/zed_eh_see/ Follow Andrew: https://www.andrewsteven.com/ https://trailweight.com/

It’s no secret that our climate is changing fast. From hurricanes to wildfires, those changes are impacting us more and more each year. How do we deal with the anxiety? And more specifically, how do we travel safely, smartly, and compassionately, in a climate-changing world? In this episode, AFAR senior news editor Michelle Baran shares her own experiences with climate anxiety, and talks with two experts about how we can find some peace—and travel with confidence.  Learn more about neuropsychologist Dr. Sanam Hafeez: http://comprehendthemind.com/ Learn more about International SOS: https://www.internationalsos.com/ This season, we want to hear from you! Have a question for us to unpack? Let us know at afar.com/feedback or email us at [email protected] 

Hey, listeners! Have you ever hugged a tree? If not, today's episode might inspire you to. AFAR editor Aislyn Greene talks with forest-bathing guide, Ben Page, about our tall, leafy friends: Why they're so good for us, where to forest bathe in the United States, and how to bring the forest-bathing mindset wherever you go. Ben Page's company, Integral Forest Bathing: https://www.integralforestbathing.com/ And his book, A Pocket Guide to Forest Bathing: https://bookshop.org/a/2660/9781647224189 If you want to learn more about Mountain Trek: https://www.mountaintrek.com/