Episodes
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They call it The Land of Stone and Light because of the way sunlight plays on its rocky terrain. It is a geological tapestry of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires, home to one of the richest fossil beds on the planet. The Lakota people called it Mako Sica, which is where it got its name. But there is nothing bad about the Badlands.
Recorded on location in immersive stereo surround, join presenter Brian Thacker on a journey through South Dakota’s Badlands National Park. We’ll find ancient fossils and murder pigs, become an unwelcome visitor in a prairie dog town, and go horseback riding through an endless sea of grass under the shadows of rocky buttes straight out of a western movie.
Welcome to the Land of Stone and Light, where bad means good.
FIND OUT MORE
Our on location ‘Immersion’ documentaries are designed so that you can experience everything we did in this episode. Go to travelsouthdakota.com for everything else you need to know to plan your great South Dakota adventure.
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
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Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Brian Thacker wrote and presented this episode. Jason Paton did the field recording and production. Aaron Millar was executive producer.
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“… tied up at the pier was this all-black pirate ship with the Jolly Roger flag at the bow. It was menacing as hell, and I walked up to the superstructure, and there on the on the outer bulkhead, was all these skulls and crossbones. They were the names of all ships these guys had sunk or rammed on the high seas.”
In 2005, adventure journalist and best-selling novelist Peter Heller, spent six weeks on board the eco-pirate ship Farley Mowat, fighting the Japanese whaling fleet.
Led by Captain Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, their mission was to disrupt, ram or sink the harpoon boats and factory ships that hunt and kill hundreds of whales each year.
Some people called them eco-terrorists, others hailed them as heroes. Battling Class 7 and 8 gales, and 35-foot-high seas, this is their story. You’ll have to make your own mind up.
CONNECT WITH PETER HELLER
Peter Heller is a beautiful writer, as well as an accomplished adventurer. His novels fuse both these passions seamlessly, transporting you to wild and beautiful places, whilst keeps you page-turning on the edge of your seat. Find out more about his books at peterhellerauthor.com
His latest novel, Burn, is about two men—friends since boyhood—who emerge from the woods of rural Maine to a dystopian country racked by bewildering violence.
#FREEPAULWATSON
At the time of publication Captain Paul Watson was being held in jail awaiting extradition to Japan where he faces up to 15 years in prison for the work he did on this mission, and others since. Find out more at paulwatsonfoundation.org
WHALE CONSERVATION:
Find out more at seashepherd.org
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
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Episodes manquant?
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At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, and two people telling travel tales down the pub, our Pathways episodes are your guide to choosing your adventures with us.
December episodes:
ADVENTURE: Whale Warriors
We join best-selling author and activist Peter Heller on board an eco-pirate ship as they battle illegal Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.
IMMERSION: Ancient Kingdoms
We cross the Arabian desert to the city of Tayma, take part in the Ancient Kingdoms Festival, and explore one of the largest oases in the world.
BUCKET LIST: The Everest of Cage Dives
In the Neptune Islands of Australia, home to the most Great White Sharks on the planet, there is a cage dive that drops you all the way to the ocean floor. And it was set up by the guy who survived the shark attack that inspired the movie, Jaws.
IMMERSION: Welcome to the Badlands
Join best-selling travel author Brian Thacker on a journey deep into the Badlands of South Dakota. We find ancient fossils on hiking trails, become an unwelcome visitor in a prairie town, and go horseback riding through an endless sea of grass, straight out of a western movie.
WANDERLUST: The Curiosities of Christmas Island.
We sit down with travel journalist Martin Symington to hear about his journey to one of the most remote places on Earth. No, Santa doesn’t live there. Yes, David Attenborough thinks it’s awesome.
BUCKET LIST: 100-mile Pub Crawl
Host Aaron Millar takes us on a 100-mile pub crawl along the South Downs Way, a long-distance footpath that crosses the South Downs National Park in England.
IMMERSION: Wellness in the Desert
We’re back with Brian Thacker in search of some New Year’s nature-inspired wellness: healing waters, indigenous bird song and Joshua Tree National Park at night.
***
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
“The thing about eating a meal with people is it breaks down barriers … But then beer elevates that to the magic of the intoxication of a shared experience. That is why beer and pizza go well together - the primal solving of the human conflict problem and the primal mysticism, paired perfectly.” – Tony Schultz, Stoney Acres Farm
Here’s to those who Wisconsin … that’s what they say in this part of the world. Because traveling here is not so much about exploring a place as discovering a mindset.
In this two-part documentary series, recorded on location, we’ll be searching for that Wisconsin state of mind. Today we’ll be looking for it through the lens of its food. But this episode is as much about community and culture as it is eating well.
They say we are what we eat, and if that’s true then tracing the history of food also tells the story of a place, and its people.
We’ll be throwing kerosene on bubbling cauldrons, figuring out how to use a traditional Oneida corn pounder, and meeting the organic farmers who have marinara in their blood. I hope you’re hungry because dinner is about to be served.
This episode was recorded on location during a weeklong road trip through the state. We hope you enjoy our journey, and if it inspires you to take one of your own – you can. All our on-location documentaries are designed to be trips that you can repeat exactly as we did it – or just pick the stuff you love. Go to travelwisconsin.com to find out more.
Thank you to our guests:
Kirby Metoxen, council member of the Oneida Nation
Lea Zeise from the Oneida Emergency Food Pantry
Becky Webster from Ukwakhwa Farm
Jeremy ‘torch’ Klaubauf at the Old Post Office Restaurant in Ephraim
and Tony Shultz, and the whole crew, at Stoney Acres Farm
This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Find our other shows at armchair-productions.com. Aaron Millar, wrote and presented the episode, and produced it with Jason Paton. Brian Thacker led our pre-production. Ally Nisbet did the field recording. And Charles Tyrie did the audio production and sound design.
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Palm Springs is a must-visit for cinephiles, history buffs, adventure seekers, architecture enthusiasts and foodies, but this desert city is better known as the home of glitz and glamour.
Today, we are stepping back in time to when Palm Springs was Hollywood’s favorite hideaway, when mid-century architecture shaped the town and suavely clad folk sipped martinis by the pool. In this episode, we’re going to visit Frank Sinatra (or his house and favorite restaurant at least), tour the Shag House with Shag himself, meet Barbie and Elvis for dinner and craft cocktails with Palm Springs very own Mr Tiki.
Recorded on location in immersive surround sound, this episode is designed to give you a glimpse of what it feels like to be there for real.
Thank you to everyone who featured in this episode:
- Our guide Kip Serafin from the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation
- Artist and style king Josh Agle, better known as Shag
- Barbie queen and Modernism Week CEO Lisa Vossler Smith
- Dan Ruiz from the Ingleside Inn
- Brian Mitchell, the food and beverage manager, and all the staff from Melvyn’s
PLAN YOUR GREATER PALM SPRINGS TRIP
Our On Location episodes are designed so that you can experience everything you hear. Check out the links above, or find out more at VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Brian Thacker wrote and presented this episode; Jason Paton did the field recording and audio production; and Aaron Millar was the executive producer . Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
“People can't believe how we live out here on the land, and under the stars. Maybe it's just the freedom of it. Once you get that red dirt in your blood and your socks, you can't get rid of either one of them. It just stays with you, and you’re going to find that out if you stick around very long.”
Norris Church, Kanab
The Western is as finely layered as the red rock deserts and dusty towns that serve as their backdrop. Ever since they first appeared on the silver screen, Westerns have been rife with opposing viewpoints, contradictions and complexities as varied as the people who watched them.
Gunslingers, shoot outs, declarations of love and revenge – the heroes and villains of Western movies have come to define the American psyche in ways that no other genre ever has.
This is the first of our insight episodes, audio documentaries that dive deep into the subjects that make places come alive: from anthropology and history to music, art and more. But today, we’re going to the movies.
Utah celebrates 100-years of movie magic this year. It has served as the backdrop for everything from alien planets to Jurassic worlds. But it’s most famous for the Westerns that were shot here. It’s easy to see why they were. Walk amongst the high buttes and slot canyons of Utah, and it’s hard not to feel like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid might jump out at you at any minute.
This episode will take you to the places where some of the most iconic Westerns were shot, from Monument Valley to Kanab. We’re going to dive into the past and learn what it was really like making them and explore how the films made here have helped to shape a vision of the old west – good and bad – that has spread around the world.
Whether you’re a movie buff or you’ve never watched a Western before, we guarantee after listening to this you’ll be itching to hop on a horse and ride off into the sunset.
PLAN YOUR UTAH TRIP
To make this episode, we visited Monument Valley and Kanab, both beautiful places we highly recommend. If you want to learn more about experiencing the sights and attractions featured in this episode, go to VisitUtah.com or follow along on social media @VisitUtah. International listeners can also book this itinerary directly as a package, with lots of other bonus experiences too - just visit AmericanSky.co.uk/Utah-Holidays or learn more about all the incredible destinations around the state at VisitTheUSA.com or on social media @VisitTheUSA.
Thank you to the guests who featured in today’s episode:
Norris Church with the Adventure Tour Company in Kanab adventure-tour-company.com
Andrew Patrick Nelson, Film and Media Arts Chair at the University of Utah. Check out his podcast, How the West was Cast.
Dennis Judd, Kanab movie expert
CREDITS
This show was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Brian Thacker managed pre-production. Jenny Allison was the in-field producer and wrote the episode. Jason Paton did the recording, mix and sound design. Aaron Millar hosted and served as executive producer. www.armchair-productions.com
CONNECT
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma! Leaving a review of the show will bring you even more.
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
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“I'm dangling 250-feet above a canyon, and I'm about to get dropped. This is what AlUla is all about. It's got desert treasures, it's got 200,000 years of history, but it's also got adventure. And we're going to start ours by soaring through the air. Are you ready? Let's do this …”
Aaron Millar, host
In this series, we’re going to take you on a journey into the heart of one of the most ancient kingdoms on Earth. Located in the northwestern corner of Saudi Arabia, Alula is an oasis in the desert layered in 200,000 years of human history.
But, until recently, it was closed to outsiders, and to this day only a handful of visitors have ever been. In this immersive documentary, recorded on location, we’ll take you to the heart of one of the great wonders of Arabia and give you a glimpse of what it feels like to be there for real.
Each episode in the series explores the destination through the lens of a different element: the heritage of Earth, the community of Water … and today, the adventure of Air.
Highlights include:
Flying over the UNESCO world heritage site of Hegra in a hot air balloon – only a handful of people have ever visited this ancient city. Even less have seen it from the sky.
Climbing via ferrata to the top of a 250-foot canyon and then screaming all the way down.
Off-roading on sand dunes through one of the most deserts in the world.
Stargazing with Bedouins and hearing their legends of the stars, which they used as a map to guide them through one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.
FIND OUT MORE
Our on-location Immersion documentaries are designed so that you can experience everything we did in this episode. Find out more at ExperienceAlula.com. Check out @experiencealula on Instagram, Facebook and X for more inspiration and ideas.
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
“There was one time when one of the young wolves was licking my face, and his canine went up my nose, and I was like, oh, okay, don't move. He wasn't trying to bite me; it was just
excitement. But it was an awesome, eerie, and strangely wonderful experience.”
- Jamie Dutcher
Before the arrival of European settlers, it is estimated as many as 500,000 wolves roamed freely across the continental United States. By the 1970s, after decades of systematic eradication, there were fewer than 1000 left.
And despite the fact that our best friends, the dog, are descended from them to this day they
are often thought of as nothing more than vicious, bloodthirsty killers and a danger to livestock
and people. Filmmakers Jim and Jamie Dutcher wanted to show another side to this iconic
predator, and in doing so perhaps change people’s minds and help protect wolves from
extinction.
But to do that they needed to get close. So, in 1991, beneath the towering peaks of Idaho’s spectacular Sawtooth Mountains, they set up a remote tented outpost where they could
bring together a pack of wolves in an enclosed territory, while accepting Jim and Jamie as just another part of their world. The Dutchers would spend the next six years Living with the Wolves.
This is their story, and the story of the Sawtooth Pack.
FIND OUT MORE
Find out more about Jim and Jamie’s foundation, and how you can help, at
LivingWithWolves.org
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right
now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the
algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar presented the show,
Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet
Chap.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, and two people telling travel tales down the pub, our Pathways episodes are your guide to choosing your adventures with us.
October episodes:
ADVENTURE: Wildlife film makers Jim and Jamie Dutcher spend six years living with a pack of wolves in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.
IMMERSION: We go on location to the Arabian deserts of AlUla in search of adventure and find out what it feels like to crash land a hot air balloon.
IMMERSION: Discover the Golden Age of Hollywood in Palm Springs, California: shag houses, Mr. Tiki and Sinatra’s favorite haunt.
ADVENTURE: We join best-selling author and activist Peter Heller on board an eco-pirate ship as they battle illegal Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.
IMMERSION: Thanksgiving Special all about food: sacred corn, fish boils, and pizza farms.
***
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
“I was lying in a coffin in the catacombs beneath London Bridge while a clairvoyant called to the
spirits around me to make themselves known. To say this was not a normal Saturday night
would be to grossly understate the point.”
And so begins, the second of our Halloween specials – a bucket list ghost hunt in the London
Tombs.
When these ancient catacombs were being excavated in 2007, they were found to house the
remains of plague victims who had been buried there centuries before. The builders working at
the time reported numerous strange goings on and insisted on working in pairs for fear of being
alone in those dark recesses.
Today, it is purported to be one of the most haunted places in the city and home to many
trapped souls including one particular menace known only as ‘Shadow Man’.
Told by host Aaron Millar, this is the story of a paranormal investigation he took part in while
on a Halloween assignment for a UK newspaper. Everything that is told here is true, and not
exaggerated. And whether its ghosts, imagination or the power of the mind, things happened
down there which Aaron, a skeptic, still can’t fully explain.
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right
now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the
algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar wrote and presented the
show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist
Sweet Chap.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
They called it the ‘End of the Line’. For over a century, Brushy Mountain prison held some of the most violent murderers, rapists and serial killers in the country. If you wore out your welcome at another prison or your crime was among the most unspeakable committed, this was where you ended up. And once you walked through the doors, almost no one walked out.
Located in the remote hills of Eastern Tennessee, the prison was closed in 2009. But the ghosts of the brutality that was committed there still remain. Today, the grounds hold the world’s first (legal) prison whisky distillery, and without a doubt the scariest and most ingeniously located. Because after touring the prison, there’s only one thing you need: a large shot of their specialty – ‘End of the Line Moonshine’.
This immersive episode, recorded on location in the prison itself, will take you from the cell blocks, where conditions were said to be worse than a Siberian labor camp, to the mines where prisoners were literally worked to death, and finally into ‘The Hole’ where inmates were kept in solitary confinement, in complete darkness, in a cell 4-ft wide and 8-ft long.
“You think you can handle it,” one former inmate said. “Think again, son. Everyone breaks.”
FIND OUT MORE:
This scene was taken from a trip we did following the Tennessee Whisky Trail. If you like music and whisky, we highly recommend it tnwhiskytrail.com.
Visit the prison and drink some excellent whisky at Brushy Mountain Distillery. Brushymtndistillery.com
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar wrote and presented the episode, Jason Paton did the field recording and production. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
“So, take down your box and bow, and play the strings. Whistle up your travellin’ tune. Listen to the sound the water makes, in the Diamond Stream.”
Ed Snodderly, The Diamond Stream
This episode is the first in our Performance series, where we showcase music from around the globe. Today, we’re joined by Tennessee Music Legend Ed Snodderly at his live music venue The Down Home, in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Ed describes himself as a songwriter with a strong Appalachian sense of place. His songs ring in the old, the odd and in a non-sentimental way Ed calls it American Southern, “cause that sounds really cool.”
In 2020, he was awarded the lifetime achievement award from the Southern Region of Folk Alliance, and the third verse of his song “The Diamond Stream”, which he performs here, is permanently displayed at the Wall of Honor in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee.
But today’s not just a music performance. We sat on the stage with him, and as he played, we talked about life, music, and everything in between. It was one of those moments, when something amazing happens on the road that is completely unexpected but ends up being one of the highlights of the whole trip.
FIND OUT MORE
Discover more of Ed’s music at edsnodderlymusic.com, or listen on soundcloud.com/edsnodderly
Ed is co-founder of The Down Home, a world-renowned music venue located in Johnson City, Tennessee. Stop by if you’re passing through downhome.com
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar presented the show, Jason Paton did the field recording and production. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
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Rodeo in the United States is a reflection of the spirit of the American West, and a tradition
rooted in the folklore and culture of the country. But in South Dakota, it’s not only the official
sport - it’s a way of life.
Join us as we go on a wild ride at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo where over 300,000
people from all over the world descend on Rapid City to watch more than 120 different events.
We join a father and son team at the ranch rodeo, cheer on Gill the border collie at the sheep
dog trials, take part in a bachelor cattle auction and watch seven-year-old Kreed hang on to a
sheep for dear life in mutton bustin’.
But we’re not just watching from the outside, we mic up the cowboy and cowgirl competitors to
take us inside the arena and show us what it feels like to ride in a rodeo for real.
Thank you to everyone who featured in this episode:
- Sheepdog handler and dog lover Linda Loulias
- Sheep shearer Mike Por and Loren Opstedahl.
- Kreed, our fearless mutton buster
- And the boys from Lakota Funds and the Corn Creek Bandits
PLAN YOUR SOUTH DAKOTA TRIP
Our On Location episodes are designed so that you can experience everything you hear. Check
out the links above, or find out more at www.travelsouthdakota.com
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right
now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the
algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Brian Thacker wrote and presented
this episode, Jason Paton did the field recording and production, and Aaron Millar was the
executive producer. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
“We’re fighting to make the world less boring. Our planet used to slap us about the face-cheeks with iron fists of adventure every day. Maps had edges to walk off. Whole continents lay undiscovered. But now, the entire surface of the Earth has been scanned by satellites and shoveled into your mobile phone, tagged with twattery about which restaurant serves the best mocha-latte-frappeshite.
We live to find ways to make the world a bit more difficult. To bring chaos into our over-sanitized lives. To create adventures where you don’t know what will happen tomorrow or if you’ll even make it. Because we think there’s no greater moment than those seconds as you leap into an abyss of uncertainty and disaster.”
Tom Morgan, The Adventurists
This is how a group called The Adventurists describe themselves, and today we’re speaking with one of their founders about the trip that inspired it all. It’s called the Mongol Rally, and the premise is to drive from London to Mongolia, in a car that costs not much more than a cup of tea, with no plan and no back up.
In this day and age, with the technology we have in our pocket, there’s a tendency to plan things out to the nth degree. The Adventurists offer an important counterpoint to that. Maybe adventure should have an element of risk? Maybe embracing the unknown is an essential part of exploration? What if we’re denying ourselves something important in our over-sanitized lives?
Today’s guests Jenny Hunter talks about this and lots more, as she takes us 10,000 miles from a bar in Shoreditch to Ulaanbaatar.
SIGN UP FOR CHAOS
Believe it or not, you can actually do the Mongol Rally yourself, as well as a bunch of other mad cap adventures. Check out theadventurists.com to find out more.
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar writes and presents the show, Charles Tyrie does the audio editing and sound design, and Jason Paton is lead producer. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap. Episode cover photo by Tom Archer.
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“… it’s incredible to get that picture of watching the caravans arrive on the horizon, and you don't know what they're going hold. You don't know what mysteries. People with strange languages, different clothes, and different smells. And they set up around the fire at night and play music you've never heard before; tell stories you've never heard before …”
In this series, we’re going to take you on a journey into the heart of one of the most ancient kingdoms on Earth. Located in the northwestern corner of Saudi Arabia, Alula is an oasis in the desert layered in 200,000 years of human history.
But, until recently, it was closed to outsiders, and to this day only a handful of visitors have ever been. In this immersive documentary, recorded on location, we’ll take you to the heart of one of the great wonders of Arabia and give you a glimpse of what it feels like to be there for real.
Highlights include:
Exploring the ancient city of Hegra. Built by the same people who built Petra in Jordan, Hegra is every bit as spectacular but only visited by a handful of intrepid travelers.
Visiting Jebel Ikmah, a library of ancient inscriptions carved into stone that reveal life in the desert more than 2,000 years ago.
Riding Arabian horses to petroglyphs in the desert (and nearly falling off).
Meeting a herd of overly friendly camels, with a taste for microphones.
Learning from rawis, local storytellers, about the history of the incense road, a vast trading route, which passed through Alula, and changed the face of Arabia forever.
FIND OUT MORE
Our on-location Immersion documentaries are designed so that you can experience everything we did in this episode. Find out more at ExperienceAlula.com. Check out @experiencealula on Instagram, Facebook and X for more inspiration and ideas.
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
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“I look out the window towards K2 and it's this splitter blue day with this little wisp of white snow coming off the top of the second highest mountain in the world and I'm feeling this sense of terror and this realization of, oh shit: What have I agreed to?”
Cory Richards is one of the world’s most renowned mountaineers and adventure photographers. He has climbed Everest without oxygen, been on the front cover of National Geographic and is the first American to climb an 8000m peak in winter.
In this episode, he shares his favorite adventures from the Andes to the Himalayas. But he also shares what he calls his “journey to quiet the chaos within”. Cory was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a child. He was put in psychiatric hospitals, suffered extreme depression, and even - in his darkest moments - thought about ending it all.
Climbing mountains for Cory became a way to escape the “madness that was haunting him”. But it was a race he was doomed to lose.
This story is both an edge of your seat adventure, told by one of the world’s greats, but also an extremely honest and vulnerable account of what it means to fall apart and rewrite your story anew.
CONNECT WITH CORY
Cory’s latest book is called The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within. It is exquisitely well written, and my personal favorite adventure travel book this year.
Check out his award-winning photography on Instagram: @coryrichards
MENTAL HEALTH
This episode deals with issues of mental health, specifically bipolar disorder and depression. If you’re going through anything, and need some help, there’s some links below. These are not personal endorsements. Make sure you do your own research, there’s a lot of great assets out there and there’s no need to suffer alone.
National Institute for Mental Illness (USA): https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help
Mind (UK): https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem/where-to-start/
CONNECT WITH US
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
CREDITS
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
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At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, and two people telling travel tales down the pub, our Pathways episodes are your guide to choosing your adventures with us.
October episodes:
ADVENTURE: National Geographic photographer and mountaineer Cory Richards takes us on a journey to the top of the Himalayas in search of The Color of Everything.
DISCOVERY: We go on location to the ancient city of Alula to uncover the history hidden in the Earth
CONNECTION: We speak with Jenny Hunter from the Adventurists about the time she drove a $1,000 car from London to Mongolia and the importance of getting lost.
IMMERSION: We send an Aussie to a rodeo in South Dakota and chaos ensues.
INSIGHT: Halloween Special – Aaron goes to a seance in the London Tombs and strange things occur.
BUCKET LIST: Halloween Special – we take the world’s scariest whisky tour inside America’s most notorious prison.
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
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Here’s to those who Wisconsin … that’s what they say in this part of the world. Because
traveling here is not so much about exploring a place as discovering a mindset.
In this two-part documentary series, recorded on location, we’ll be searching for that Wisconsin
state of mind. Today we’ll be looking for it through the lens of its music, architecture, theater -
and motorbikes. It’s a story about how art can connect us more deeply with the land, and how
the land inspires it.
Wisconsin is renowned as being home to some of the friendliest and most welcoming people
you’ll ever meet. During our weeklong road trip recording this podcast, we found that and lots
more from Native American drums and motorcycle rides, to pizza farms and a praying mantis
who just won’t get off the stage.
We hope you enjoy our journey, and if it inspires you to take one of your own – you can. All our
on-location documentaries are designed to be trips that you can repeat exactly as we did it – or
just pick the stuff you love. Go to travelwisconsin.com to find out more.
Thank you to our guests:
The Menominee Nation
Shane Webster, from the Wind Eagle band of Menominee singers and drummers.
Ryan Hewsom, the preservation director at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin.
Patty Heaston, the communications director at the American Players Theater.
Company actors Marcus Truschinski and Jessica Ko. And Director Robert Ramirez.
And Chris Ribstine and Tim McCormick from the Harley Davidson Museum.
This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.
Find our other shows at armchair-productions.com. Aaron Millar, wrote and presented the
episode, and produced it with Jason Paton. Brian Thacker led our pre-production. Ally Nisbet
did the field recording. And Charles Tyrie did the audio production and sound design.
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“The best way to travel? Dare to be lonely, lost, and bored.” – Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding
Today’s special episode is in honor of World Travel Day, which was set up by the United Nations over 50 years ago and is celebrated today, on September 27th, every year.
Here’s what they have to say about it …
Tourism as an instrument for peace
Tourism, often highlighted for its role in economic development, also plays a significant role in fostering peace. On a global level, where nations are interconnected and interdependent, Tourism, an industry made by people and for people, emerges as a compelling and dynamic force to defy stereotypes and challenge prejudices.
This sector can be perceived as the epitome of intercultural dialogue; it allows meeting the "other", learning about different cultures, hearing foreign languages, tasting exotic flavours, bonding with other human beings, and building tolerance. In essence, it is a mind-broadening educational and spiritual experience.
Our guest today is author Rolf Potts, whose book Vagabonding was one of the pioneering publications of independent travel and has become a legend on the backpacking, van life and digital nomadism scenes. He has inspired countless travelers to forgo expensive, overly planned travel in favor of affordable, spontaneous exploration. Plus, he has some incredible stories he’s collected over the years.
Highlights include:
Taking a traditional fishing boat on a three-week journey down the Mekong River.
Trekking through the jungle to visit remote tribes in Indonesia.
Riding a bicycle across Myanmar.
Finding out how to let go of expectations and open yourself to authentic experiences.
Learning the subtle art of being bored, and why it’s important.
Discovering how exploration enhances our experience of home.
CONNECT WITH ROLF
Follow Rolf on Instagram @rolfpotts, or visit his website at rolfpotts.com to find his books, articles, blog, videos, writing courses, and more. You can also find his newest book, The Vagabond’s Way: 366 Meditations on Wanderlust, Discover, and the Art of Travel at your local bookstore or online. There are so many interesting stories and reflections in there that we didn’t have time to cover, so we highly recommend you pick up a copy for yourself!
CONNECT WITH US
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Following the show will bring good travel karma! If you like this episode, please support us by subscribing to the show. Don’t miss finding out where our next adventure will take you.
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar presented the show and wrote it along with Jenny Allison. Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
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In the heart of the California’s Sonoran Desert the city of Palm Spring’s emerges like a green oasis surrounded by a sea of red. It’s known for food, art, glamour, glitz but head outside the city boundaries to Greater Palm Springs and there’s plenty of adventure too.
Today we’re going to be exploring the region’s wild side - and we’re not talking about lavish pool parties (more of that later in the series). We’re going horseback riding through canyons beside palm-fringed creeks, snowshoeing through pine forests on the top of soaring peaks; we’ll be taking an off-road jeep in search of the San Andreas Fault and rappel off 100-foot boulders in the desert dreamscapes of Joshua Tree National Park.
Recorded on location in immersive surround sound, this episode is designed to give you a glimpse of what it feels like to be there for real.
Thank you to everyone who featured in this episode:
- Wilderness Park Aid Christopher Gabriel Zazueta from San Jacinto State Park
- Morgan Levine from Reed Jeep Tours
- Tuesday from Smoke Tree Stables
- And our fearless rappelling guide Jaden Wyszpolski from Stone Adventures
PLAN YOUR GREATER PALM SPRINGS TRIP
Our On Location episodes are designed so that you can experience everything you hear. Check out the links above, or find out more at VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com
FOLLOW ARMCHAIR EXPLORER
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
You Tube: @armchairexplorer
Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com
Follow us on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episode. Review us and you will be blessed with good travel karma.
CREDITS
This series was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Brian Thacker wrote and hosted the series. Jason Paton did the field recording and produced the show, along with Aaron Millar. And Charles Tyrie helped with audio editing. Find our other shows at armchair-productions.com
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