Travel Guides: Peru with Laura Sanders

The podcast's very own host, British journalist and travel writer, Laura Sanders, documents her journey through Peru with small group tour specialists G Adventures.

South America's third-largest country, Peru is a land of deserts, glaciers, lakes and jungles. But it's most famous for Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. 

Learn more about this powerful civilisation as Laura makes her way through Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. Laura then treks to Rainbow Mountain, an overnight social media success story, before sleeping beneath the jungle canopy in an eco-cabin just outside of Porto Maldonado. 

Hang on until the end, when Laura answers your questions about Peru, preparing for the Inca trail, and  travelling with G Adventures.

See Laura's itinerary and the other tours on offer with G Adventures here.

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Hot off the back of a tense finale of Race Across the World season 3, the winners talk to Laura about their experience, what they've been up to since and where they're off to next.

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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As we approach the new year, Laura asks Skyscanner's Travel Trends Expert, Laura Lindsay, about what and where is up and coming in 2023 - so you can get in there ahead of the crowds.

According to Laura, we're more determined than ever to travel despite the cost of living crisis, but we're looking for places which offer better value for our hard-earned cash. As a result, lesser-known destinations such as Amman, Madeira and Zagreb are on people's radars.

Having recently returned from Jordan herself, Laura tells us why it's one of Skyscanner's trending destinations - and why it should be on your travel checklist.

Skyscanner is a search engine which helps you find the cheapest flights and hotels. You can browse flights across an entire month to find the best deal and use it's 'Everywhere' feature to find the cheapest destinations to fly to from your chosen airport.

Feeling inspired? Find cheap flights on Skyscanner.

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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The True Travel Podcast: Travel Guides takes you on a journey to an exciting destination, sometimes with the help of a guest expert.

In this first Travel Guides episode, award-winning travel journalist and author Tharik Hussain (S4,E4) joins Laura to tell us what Saudi Arabia has to offer as it undergoes a dramatic transformation.

Having lived there for some time and travelled the country extensively, Tharik shares his insider knowledge and tells us what to see and do, where to stay, and what's on the menu. He also tells us how Saudi Arabia has changed since he first moved there and how the country is pumping billions into the tourism industry.

Tharik's top tips? Get in there before Saudi Arabia goes mainstream and pack plenty of sunscreen!

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Tharik Hussain
Instagram:  @tharik_hussain
Twitter:  @_TharikHussain
Website:  tharikhussain.co.uk

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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Travel journalist Oli Smith joins Laura to talk about the world's abandoned wonders, as detailed in his new book, Atlas of Abandoned Places.

During the episode, Oli talks about some of the destinations which feature in the book - many of which he's visited himself - as well as some of his earliest adventures as a young backpacker and his career as a travel journalist.

Oli also tells us why you shouldn’t try visiting some of the destinations in this book yourself as it can be illegal. But this hasn’t stopped a group of people who’ve formed the “Urbex” community who sneak into off-limits places.

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Oli Smith
Instagram: @olismithtravel
Twitter:  @OliSmithTravel
Website: oliversmithtravel.com 

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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Tharik Hussain is a British-Muslim travel writer and author who’s been travelling in search of Europe's native Muslim communities. 

Tharik released his book Minarets in the Mountains:  A Journey into Muslim Europe  in July which is all about his adventures around the Western Balkans, connecting with muslims who have lived there for centuries.

During the episode, Tharik talks about the way Muslim heritage has been erased from travel literature by colonial-era writers, what elements of the journey surprised him and challenged his preconceptions about muslim identity, and why travel writing desperately needs more diverse voices.

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Tharik Hussain
Instagram:  @tharik_hussain
Twitter:  @_TharikHussain
Website:  tharikhussain.co.uk

Buzzsprout  is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching  the True Travel Podcast really easy.  As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

Start your free trial with Buzzsprout now.

(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).

James Willcox is the co-founder of Untamed Borders which creates bespoke tours in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, among other unconventional destinations.

During this episode, James tells us the story behind Untamed Borders and how it has helped documentary film makers - most recently Michael Palin - access and explore these seemingly cut-off corners of the globe.

But you don't have to be in the media to go on one of their trips and James tells us what’s on offer to travellers. Laura also asks James about the issue of safety when arranging tours in places we typically only hear about when there's war and other dangers.

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James Willcox/Untamed Borders -
Instagram:  @untamedborders
Twitter: @untamedborders
Website: untamedborders.com

Buzzsprout  is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching  the True Travel Podcast really easy.  As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).

Mary Novakovich is a British travel journalist specialising in Croatia and the Balkans. Both her parents are originally from Croatia, which at the time of their births was part of Yugoslavia. 

Mary’s memoir, My Family and Other Enemies: Life and Travels in Croatia's Hinterland, was released in August this year and documents her many journeys to visit family in Lika, where her mother was born and grew up. Mary first visited as a little girl when the country was part of Yugoslavia and later took her mother back down memory lane there. 

Having witnessed how the country and her parents' birthplace has changed over the decades, her memoir gives a personal account of a moment in history, but it’s above all a travelogue which talks of the breathtaking scenery and authentic cultural experiences on offer.

Mary tells us all about the book and her other adventures as well as sharing tips for getting off the beaten path in Croatia.

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Mary Novakovich -
Instagram: @marynovakovich
Twitter: @mary_novakovich
Website: marynovakovich.contently.com

Buzzsprout  is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching  the True Travel Podcast really easy.  As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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Jess Vincent started writing about travel a few years ago when she went backpacking in South America. It wasn’t long before she scored commissions with the big names and won awards for her words.  

Jess has covered South America extensively, penning stories about hiking the Camino Copalita - a little-known trail only a privileged few get to experience in Mexico - and tasting the country's ancient "caviar". Having grown up in Spain,  she knows where to find the hidden gems and experience truly authentic food and hospitality.

While she was grounded during lockdown, Jess got her fix by burying her head in the great work of other travel writers, when she came up with the idea of collating all of these stories into one big anthology. And so,  with the help of some of the other most-respected names in the world of travel literature, The Best British Travel Writing of the 21st Century was born. 

During this episode, Jess talks to Laura about the mammoth task of selecting stories for the book and what makes a great piece of travel writing, as well as reflecting on some of her favourite adventures.

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Jess Vincent -
Instagram:@nomadatravel
Twitter: @jessicagvincent
Website: jessicagvincent.com

Buzzsprout  is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching  the True Travel Podcast really easy.  As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).

May 29th marked International Everest Day and so joining Laura this week is The Telegraph’s Lucy Aspden who recently completed Basecamp Everest. Leading her up the mountain was the son of Sherpa Tenzing, one of the first two men to summit Everest almost 70 years ago.

The trek to Everest has changed a lot since then and Lucy tells us what it’s really like to summit basecamp in 2022, with far more comfortable accommodation, thousands of climbers visiting every year... and the impacts of climate change being felt.

She also tells us about life in the Himalayas, why so-called ‘overnight mountaineers’ are ruining Everest, and how locals are cleaning up the mountains so future generations can enjoy it.

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Instagram: @truetravelpodcast
Twitter: @truetravelpod
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Lucy Aspden-
Instagram: lucy_aspden
Twitter: @Lucy_Aspden 

Buzzsprout  is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching  the True Travel Podcast really easy.  As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).

Buzzsprout is the #1 podcast hosting platform and made launching the True Travel Podcast really easy. As a subscriber, you get tons of guides, from finding the right equipment at the right price to growing your podcast organically; as well as detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes, and more.

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(Affiliate disclaimer: Following this link lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support the show).