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PODCAST

Unpacked by Afar

Unpacked by Afar tackles one tricky topic in travel each week. Whether you want to hack your points and miles, figure out where to travel next, or need advice on an ethical dilemma, we"re your expert travel guides. Because the travel world is complicated. We"re here to help you unpack it.

society & culture places & travel

All Episodes

40:52

How Two Years of Phone-Free Travel Rewired the Way I...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/04/09

What if the secret to a great trip was leaving your phone in airplane mode — forever? Journalist Lisa Abend has been doing exactly that, arriving in cities she's never researched, GPS turned off, without a hotel reservation or itinerary of any kind. The result isn't chaos; it's the kind of travel that actually surprises you. In this episode, Lisa makes a compelling case for leaving the phone out of the travel process. Meet this week's guest Lisa Abend is a Copenhagen-based journalist and former

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38:06

In the Age of AI, This Is What Only a Travel Advisor...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/04/02

You've got more booking tools than ever — so why would you hire a travel advisor? In this episode, Afar editorial director Billie Cohen sits down with travel journalist and matchmaker Wendy Perrin, founder of wendyperrin.com, to answer the questions travelers actually have: What can an advisor do that you can't do yourself? When does it make sense — and when doesn't it? How do you find a good one, interview them, and understand what you're paying for? From crowd-skipping at Venice to landing the

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43:59

An Architect's California: From LA's Secret Garden to...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/03/27

This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has been shaping the way Californians live, work, and gather for three decades.Barbara Bestor is the founder of Bestor Architecture, a Los Angeles studio she's led since 1995 — at a time when very few women were doing so. Her work spans

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44:13

He's Been Designing California's Outdoors for...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/03/27

This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has literally shaped the ground beneath many Californian's feet. Roderick Wyllie is an award-winning landscape architect and founding partner of Surfacedesign Inc. A rare San Francisco native, he's helped design some of the Bay Area's most

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48:54

The Naturalist Who's Been Decoding—and...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/03/27

This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest is one of its most original voices. Obi Kaufmann is a naturalist, writer, and illustrator whose California Field Atlas series has redefined what a nature book can be. His books — filled with hand-painted watercolor maps, poetry, and decades

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41:48

Drama, Geopolitics, and Glory: Inside the World Cup

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/03/19

Show NotesThe World Cup is more than a soccer tournament — it's a mirror for geopolitics, national identity, and the power of global fandom. In this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene sits down with British journalist Jonathan Wilson, author of The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup, to explore the drama, corruption, and beauty that have defined the tournament across a century. In this episode, you'll learn: How hosting the World Cup has evolved from a nation-building

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17:47

This Theater Was a Refuge for Queer Americans. Now...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/03/17

She’s 104 years old, newly renovated, and she’s ready for her close-up.On this episode of Unpacked: America 250, host Aislyn Greene talks about the newly renovated ⁠Castro Theatre⁠ in San Francisco, a $41 million transformation of one of America’s most beloved LGBTQ+ landmarks. Aislyn sits down with Mary Conde, SVP at ⁠Another Planet Entertainment⁠, the independent concert promoter behind the renovation, to explore what it took to bring this icon back to life, and why this was always about more

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34:06

The Hidden History of the World's Most Powerful...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/03/12

Before you board an international flight, before you cross a border, you need a passport. But how much do you really know about the little book that controls where you can and cannot go in this world?On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene sits down with Patrick Bixby, an English professor at Arizona State University and author of the book License to Travel: A Cultural History of the Passport, which explores how a bureaucratic document became one of the most emotionally loaded objects in

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25:20

The Military Secret That Could End Your Jet Lag...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/03/05

Jet lag doesn't have to ruin your trip. On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene shares her game-changing experience using a jet lag protocol originally developed for Navy SEALs—and digs into the fascinating science of why it works. She speaks with Dr. Jamie Zeitzer, one of Stanford's leading circadian rhythm researchers, and Andrew Herr, the founder of Flykitt, who transformed military sleep science into a practical travel solution.In this episode, you'll learn What's really happening

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58:24

Beyond the Canals: An Insider’s Guide to Amsterdam’s...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/02/27

Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most overtouristed cities—but it’s also so much more than the crowds in the city center suggest. On this episode of Unpacked—part of Afar’s ongoing Off the Tourist Trail series—host Aislyn Greene is joined by journalist Blane Bachelor, who moved to Amsterdam during the pandemic and has spent years navigating life as a resident. She shares how to experience the real Amsterdam—the neighborhoods, restaurants, and rhythms that exist just beyond the tourist-packed city

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67:08

The Lowdown on 2026: Everything You Need to Make It...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/02/21

Is it okay to watch a violent movie next to a stranger's kid on a plane? Should you abandon your airline loyalty card? And wait—is March actually the real start of the new year?On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene is joined by Afar editorial director Billy Cohen and deputy editor Michelle Baron for a wide-ranging conversation tied to Afar's annual Plan Your Travel Year package on afar.com. Together they break down what travelers actually need to know heading into 2026—from the shifting

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30:53

Why Spain’s Star Chefs Are Setting Up...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/02/17

Welcome to Unpacked, Five Questions, a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of one great travel story. In this episode, host and Afar executive editor Katherine LaGrave sits down with contributing writer Lisa Abend, a Copenhagen‑based journalist known for her deep reporting on food, culture, and the ways travel shapes communities. For her latest Afar feature, Lisa embarked on an ambitious road trip across northern Spain to visit five tiny towns where some of the country’s most exciting chefs

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21:41

Where to Go in 2026: The Five-Square-Mile Caribbean...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/01/16

It's a shiny new year, so this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Go list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales to explore this year.Places like Saba, a tiny Dutch Caribbean island with no beaches, no cruise ports, and the world's shortest commercial runway—just 400 meters long. What it does have: lush volcanic landscapes, 20 hand-built hiking trails, and a population of just over 2,000. In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with ⁠Bianca Bujan⁠, a

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29:02

Where to Go: The South Australian City That Punches...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/01/15

It's a shiny new year, so this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's ⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Go list⁠⁠⁠⁠. And in 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. So our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure.Places like Adelaide, Australia, a city within a park that punches above its weight with world-class wine, a booming food scene, and Australia's only UNESCO

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20:22

Where to Go in 2026: The Texas City Getting a...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/01/13

It's a shiny new year, so this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's ⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Go list⁠⁠⁠⁠—24 emerging regions and overlooked locales to explore this year.Like Fort Worth, Texas, a city that blends its cowboy heritage with world-class museums, a thriving food scene, and major developments on the horizon. In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with ⁠Nora Walsh⁠, a travel writer and podcast host who fell hard for the "Unexpected City." She took line dancing lessons at the world's

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32:29

Where to Go in 2026: Malaysia's Most Overlooked...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/01/12

It's a shiny new year, so this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Go list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. In 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. So our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure. Places like Penang, Malaysia, a small island with one of Southeast Asia's most fascinating and underrated food and cultural scenes. In this episode, host

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22:29

Where to Go in 2026: The White Lotus Architect...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/01/09

It's a fresh new year and this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's Where to Go in 2026 list—but this year's picks are different. In 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. Our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure.Places like Da Nang, Vietnam's fifth-largest city and a coastal destination long beloved by Vietnamese travelers that's now

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25:45

Where to Go in 2026: The Pacific Northwest's 80-Mile...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/01/08

It's a shiny new year, so this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's ⁠⁠Where to Go list⁠⁠. And this year's list is a little different. Because in 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. Our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure. Like the Columbia River Gorge, a Pacific Northwest icon where waterfalls tumble from towering cliffs, the landscape

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17:43

Where to Go: East London's Olympic Park Has...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2026/01/06

It's a shiny new year, so this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's ⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Go list⁠⁠⁠⁠: 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales to explore this year. Like East London, where a billion-pound investment has transformed the 2012 Olympic Park into a creative powerhouse. In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with ⁠Nick DeRenzo⁠, Afar's editorial director of newsletters (sign up here!) and a self-described Londoner at heart. Nick makes the case for hopping on the Elizabeth line and

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24:32

Where to Go in 2026: Trade the Serengeti Traffic for...

Unpacked by Afar ·

2025/12/17

This month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's just-released ⁠Where to Go list⁠—but this year's picks are different. In 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. Our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure.For Laikipia, that means looking beyond the overcrowded Maasai Mara to discover a Kenyan plateau where half the country's black rhinos roam, where

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160 results

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