Unpacked by AFAR

Where should I go this year? It's our favorite question—and (we hope) yours! For our annual where to go list, we handpicked 12 unique destinations, from the Great Lakes to Tasmania. We offer ideas for every type of traveler, whether you want to bicycle along Prince Edward Island's new Island Walk, eat seafood and listen to music in the Brazilian city of Salvador, or appreciate art and architecture in the United Arab Emirates' Sharjah. In this episode, we're unpacking the list with AFAR editorial director Sarika Bansal, deputy editor Tim Chester, and freelancer travel writer Ashlea Halpern. The three also weigh in on travel trends for 2023, the realities of traveling with little kids, and other tips for making 2023 your best travel year yet. Read more at https://afar.com/wtg2023. And don't forget to follow our editors: Sarika: https://www.instagram.com/sarika008/ Ashlea: https://www.instagram.com/ashleahalpern Tim: https://www.instagram.com/timchester

It's a bright, shiny new year, which means a bright, shiny new year of travel. Here at AFAR, we're bursting with ideas and enthusiasm—and we want to share it all with you. Before you dive in, just a note that Unpacked will sound a little different this year: We'll still be unpacking the trickiest topics in travel, but we'll also touch on issues and trends like forest-bathing, climate change anxiety, using travel to heal grief, and our picks for where to go in 2023. And this season, we also want to hear from you! What travel topics do you want us to unpack? Share your thoughts at afar.com/feedback or email us at [email protected].

Hey, listeners! Today, we're introducing you to a very cool new podcast called Beyond the Raging Sea: State of Mind. In 2016, adventurer Omar Samra called athlete Omar Nour with a life-changing idea: “How about we row across the Atlantic Ocean?” Within a matter of hours, the two were registered to compete in the world’s toughest race: a 3,000-mile unsupported row across the mighty Atlantic Ocean, in a seven-meter rowing boat. However, about nine days into their journey, when their boat capsized in a severe storm and the life raft didn't open, they came face-to-face with death. Inspired by the documentary, Beyond the Raging Sea, this podcast unravels new layers of humans’ state of mind against adversity. In the episode you’re about to hear, Omar and Omar, affectionately dubbed O2, begin their journey. We hear about those frightening first days, but throughout the episode host Lobna Monieb also talks with experts to answer the question: What happens inside your mind when your body is pushed to its limits? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And learn more about the film at https://www.beyondtheragingsea.com/

Have you ever wanted to take a picture during your travels, but you weren’t sure if it was OK? Or have you come across a traditional performance and wondered whether you should be there at all? In this episode, we explore the sometimes uncomfortable power dynamics at play in cultural tourism—and how to navigate them with ease. Resources For more about Bangarra: https://www.bangarra.com.au/  To explore Wild Expeditions Africa: https://wild-expeditions.africa/ To learn more about from the World Bank on Indigenous Peoples: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/indigenouspeoples

When it comes to travel, accessibility is often an afterthought. But it shouldn't be. Qudsiya Naqui, host of the Down to the Struts podcast, takes on a journey into the world of accessible travel. She speaks with writer Bani Amor, wilderness specialist Erika Rivers, and Maayan Ziv, the founder of AccessNow, a mobile app that helps travelers find and share accessibility information. Resources: You can learn more about Qudsiya and the Down to the Struts team at downtothestruts.com. Learn more about disability experiences through media and culture. The Disability Visibility Project created by Alice Wong is a great place to start. You can find blog posts and interviews with members of the disability community at disabilityvisibilityproject.org. See what Erika Rivers and her team at Wilderness Inquiry are doing at https://www.wildernessinquiry.org/ Explore Maayan Ziv and AccessNow at https://accessnow.com Follow Bani Amor on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/baniamor/?hl=en Special thanks to Story District in Washington D.C. for permission to share original audio from their March 2020 show, “She Comes First.” You can learn more about Story District by visiting storydistrict.org.

What in the world is regenerative travel? Kristy Drutman, host of the Brown Girl Green podcast, takes us deep in the world of green travel, where sustainability is about so much more than carbon offsets. Resources Brown Girl Green: https://www.browngirlgreen.com/ Amando Ho: https://www.regenerativetravel.com/ Paco Guerrero: https://www.gridmagazine.ph/

What does it mean when we say we want to "travel like a local?" It's a well-intentioned phrase, but also, well, impossible. In this episode, we'll unpack the concept of local travel. We’ll share tips on how to better connect in a new place, how to embrace our outsider status, and basically how asking ourselves these big questions can make our trips more fulfilling, and make us better guests in the world. Resources: Eric Weiner's essay: https://www.afar.com/magazine/five-ways-to-travel-more-responsibly Eric's book, The Socrates Express: https://bookshop.org/a/2660/9781501129025 The digital accompaniment to the Unpacked podcast: https://www.afar.com/travel-inspiration/travel-for-good Dr. Anu Taranath: https://www.anutaranath.com/ Dr. Anu's Book: Beyond Guilt Trips, Mindful Travel in an Unequal World: https://bookshop.org/a/2660/9781771134323 Jini Reddy: https://www.jinireddy.co.uk/ Jini's book, Wanderland: https://bookshop.org/a/2660/9781472951953

There's nothing quite like a magical, transportive animal encounter—but how do we ensure those encounters are good for the animals (and good for the places we visit)? Journalist Byron Pace, host of the Into the Wilderness Podcast, takes us on a journey around the world, talking with wildlife experts ranging from a shark scientist in Australia to a California-based biologist. This episode is sponsored by Explore Asheville, who shares our belief in the power of ethical travel. https://www.exploreasheville.com/ Resources: Hear more from Byron's guests and from Byron himself at modernhuntsman.com/podcast. Dan Blumstein: https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/person/daniel-blumstein/ Dan's book, Ecotourism's Promise and Peril: https://geni.us/dTFm Melissa Cristina Márquez: https://www.melissacristinamarquez.com/ Pete Carr of the Endangered Species Protection Agency: https://speciesprotectionusa.org/ Sarah Roberts: https://www.sarahrobertsofficial.com/work-with-me Lucas Bustamante, Tropical Herping: https://www.tropicalherping.com/about/lucas_bustamante.html Have a travel conundrum you want us to unpack? Tweet us, DM us on Instagram, or post on our Facebook page. Twitter: https://twitter.com/AFARmedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afarmedia/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfarMedia/

Today, we're talking about revenge. Well, sort of. In this episode, writer Paige McClanahan—host of the Better Travel Podcast—explores the concept of "revenge travel." While it's so tempting to want to take revenge on the time we lost to Covid, Paige invites us to think more deeply about our impact on communities around the world, many of which are more vulnerable coming out of the pandemic. Through conversations with Harold Goodwin of the UK-based Responsible Tourism Partnership and Judy Kepher-Gona, of Kenya's Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda, Paige offers tips on how to be kinder, more aware travelers—and how to have a little fun along the way. This episode is sponsored by Explore Asheville, who shares our belief in the power of ethical travel. https://www.exploreasheville.com/ Resources: Paige McClanahan: https://www.paigemcclanahan.com/ Harold Goodwin: https://responsibletourismpartnership.org/who-we-are/ Judy Kepher-Gona: https://sttakenya.org/ Have a travel conundrum you want us to unpack? Tweet us, DM us on Instagram, or post on our Facebook page. Twitter: https://twitter.com/AFARmedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afarmedia/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfarMedia/

Have you ever been traveling and encountered a situation where you felt a little . . . uncomfortable? Yeah, us too. Each week on Unpacked by AFAR, we'll unpack a single, ethically complex question. Say, “How can I travel with a lighter footprint?” or “How can I engage with animals in an ethical way while on the road?” Through a mix of first-person stories and interviews with experts in the field, Unpacked will explore not just answers to those questions, but new ways to engage with the places we visit and the people we meet. Because the world is complicated. Being an ethical traveler doesn't have to be.