speaking of travel

Liza Rutledge is the owner of Happy Hiking Company, specializing in leading captivating overnight guided backpacking tours across the stunning landscapes of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Liza shares the benefits of a guided trip over a non-guided trip and why these experiences in nature are beneficial to your mental and physical health, builds outdoor skill sets, and is a great means of meeting new people.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Tina Kinsey, VP of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares some of the stories of an industry in constant evolution and what the Asheville Regional Airport is doing to transform for this region’s future growth.

A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

LoAnn Halden (she/her) is the VP of Communications for the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, IGLTA. Their mission is to provide information and resources for LGBTQ+ travelers and expand LGBTQ+ tourism globally.

IGLTA, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, was founded in 1983 and is the world's leading network of LGBTQ+-welcoming tourism businesses. They provide free travel resources and information while continuously working to promote equality and safety within LGBTQ+ tourism worldwide.

IGLTA’s members include LGBTQ+-friendly accommodations, transport, destinations, service providers, travel advisors, tour operators, events and travel media located in over 80 countries.

LoAnn shares how the LGBTQ+ community as a whole has made progress over the past few decades and explains how the transgender community still faces major challenges, particularly in the tourism industry.

Their IGLTA Foundation works with tourism businesses and transgender community leaders to develop a plan for making tourism more welcoming for transgender travelers.

And LoAnn describes their new IGLTA Accredited program, created to serve the gold standard of assurance that travel brands are committed to promoting equality and safety for LGBTQ+ travelers.

LoAnn shares how meeting these standards ensures properties and travel organizations meet comprehensive criteria and evaluation process before being recognized as IGLTA Accredited™.

A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Ariel Haas and Jason Moon, business partners at Glassy Stays, Asheville, NC's exclusive glass mirror house, share the benefits of staying at an eco-conscious accommodation for a vacation in the heart of the forest.

Today, the old-school, off-grid lifestyle is not as attractive as it once was, except maybe for those who like the camping lifestyle. Now it’s more about a luxury off-grid lifestyle as people are becoming more mindful of how they travel and where they stay. 

Ariel and Jason explain how this sustainable haven is bringing modern luxury into nature. And what makes Glassy Stays and the mirror house special.

Also on Speaking of Travel is Justin Belleme, founder of the JB Media Group, co-founder of the JB Media Institute and the DIY Tourism Marketing Workshop, and the publisher of Romantic Asheville.com. 

Justin is a leader in helping shape the future of sustainable travel and shares how alternative accommodations are becoming more popular and necessary.

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Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Ever wonder why it feels so great to be out in nature? Amanda Baker, Partner Marketing Manager with Visit North Carolina and oversees North Carolina’s Outdoor NC initiative, and Clark Lovelace, Executive Director of the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, share how the love for the outdoors makes us feel happy, inspired, and excited to explore more. And why it's important to to build awareness around responsible travel, destination stewardship, and sustainable tourism concepts.

Amanda explains how North Carolina has a strong commitment to protect and preserve the culture and natural resources of the state. With three flagship programs in place: Leave No Trace, Accessible Outdoors & Trail Town Designation, they have expanded their initiatives beyond responsible travel by providing educational workshops, along with a practical tool-kit, to advance stewardship activities and communications.  

Clark shares how Transylvania County is recognized for their long-standing roll in sustainability by creating Transylvania Always and Leave It Better as their key initiatives.

And with 250 waterfalls in Transylvania County, Clark relates how waterfall safety is a focus they share with land agencies, emergency personnel, and others. 

The state and its partners are creating programs with local businesses, residents and visitors to help protect and preserve North Carolina’s outdoor spaces for the future. 

A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Enock Glidden is an accomplished outdoorsman and is found adventuring every season of the year. Born with Spina Bifida, Enock has learned to do things differently than others and shares how attitude is everything.

Also on Speaking of Travel, discover why collaboration and meaningful relationships provide a framework for inspiration. Guest Mark Collins, Partnerships Manager for RomanticAsheville.com, builds strategic partnerships and combines responsibility, sustainability and safety into one coherent voice to help foster conservation and inspiration for growing stronger as a community and as good people.

People making a large positive impact in the world sometimes attribute their passion by what they do differently. And then they inspire others who might recognize they have something special that other folks don’t and can finally move forward to have their voices heard.

A very special Speaking of Travel. Only on Speaking of Travel!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Speaking of Travel And Leave No Trace TV Series with Richard Crawford, host of the popular TV series, Leave No Trace, continues with new stories and tips to help change your life for the better and see sights so rich in wonder they will take your breath away.

In this, the first episode of the new year, discover Ricky's backstory...  How does a small boy from Paisley, Scotland, end up traveling the globe? And have the opportunity to visit some amazing places that life has to offer? What was it like going from being a  luxury brand ambassador to creating a show with an emphasis on protecting the environment?

And Ricky shares some best practices in this tourism sector and how these leaders are making a difference. And find out what it was like to have traveled to all seven continents for Season Two.

The Speaking of Travel audience wanted to find out how Ricky and Ben (cameraperson/producer) decide on the best ways to capture the essence of a destination. Discover how they do it and how they train for their trips.

To ask Ricky and Ben questions, simply contact Marilyn at mb@speakingoftravel.net.

There are new ways to watch Leave No Trace TV, and Ricky explains how to watch, where to watch, and provides updates on Season Two and when the season will be ready for viewing.

All on Speaking of Travel. Tune in! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Real Asia Founder Nick Wang and Associate Nina LaFerla share their passion for Asia and its diverse cultures with US teachers and students and create ways to utilize travel as a means to deepen the understanding between us and the destinations we visit. 

Nick has extensive business relationships with Chinese schools, companies, and NGOs and has been leading Real Asia to help many schools across the US with their faculty-led study trips.

Nina is a devoted educator whose engaging, award-winning teaching style has taken her to classrooms around the world, from France to the Tibetan regions of China. Nina fell in love with China on her first trip there when she was only 14 and since then has spent many years studying, teaching, and guiding in China.
 
Discover why Asia is such a unique travel destination and how Nick began Real Asia to provide the most authentic experience with an immigrant's perspective of helping others travel.

Also, Tina Kinsey, Vice-president of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares how this airport's improvements and projects address long-term growth and what the airport is doing to keep pace with increased passenger traffic, security and the passengers’ needs.

In the fall of 2022, the FAA announced the availability of $1 billion during 2023 for airport expansion projects, mostly earmarked for airport infrastructure project. Over the last couple of years, there have been many changes to federal funding programs in the U.S. that dramatically widened the scope of airport expansion all over the country.

Find out how this airport is planning on accommodating current and future air service expansion. A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Tess Vigeland is a longtime journalist and podcaster. And she is an avid photographer who shoots mainly landscape photos around the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Tess shares how sometimes wanderlust shows up and she just must go.

It's been more than five years since Tess returned from her time abroad and she describes what it's like to go so long without real international travel and why she's super excited to get back out again.

Tess is a wanderer and her upcoming trip to Portugal is no exception to her wanderlust. Find out how she rolls with no real plans except to rent a car, get out a map, and just go.

And Tess shares how these last five years of no real international travel has given her more perspective of how much she loves traveling throughout her home region of the Pacific Northwest.

She explains how countless road trips, many of them 1,000+ miles within two states, fills her soul to travel this way in an extraordinarily beautiful corner of the globe, one that draws photographers from all over the world, and what's different for her now versus when she grew up there.

Find out how Tess is looking at all of this literally through a new lens of photography and why she's never so happy as when she's on the road, in her car, with her camera, by herself.

And speaking of being alone, Tess is going to Portugal alone and tells us she's actually not sure she'll ever want to travel with someone again. Not that she'll never say never, but discover why she feels solo travel is it for her!

For more info about Tess and to follow her journey, visit www.tessvigeland.com.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Jane Adams, former director of Partnership Relations with Jane Fortune and Advancing Women Artists,  a non-profit organization that was dedicated to rediscovering, restoring, and exhibiting works by women artists found in Florence’s Museums and State deposits, shares how she is continuing to raise awareness about forgotten artists and reclaim their rightful place in history.

Jane explains how meeting Jane Fortune and Advancing Women Artists led to one of the most recent examples of lost art and also one of the most impressive. Sister Plautilla Nelli’s (1524-1588) The Last Supper is the only known depiction of Christ’s last meal by a female artist in the pre-modern age.

The self-taught artist’s massive canvas—about 21 feet long and 7 feet high—is one of the largest works by a woman artist of the pre-modern era in the entire world. Though women were banned from studying anatomy, Nelli defied conventions of the time by taking on a theme reserved for male artists and creating 13 life-size male figures.

There are still so many questions and Jane helps clarify why some of these works were never considered masterpieces. A movement is happening now around Italy's women's art restoration and Jane will bring you into a history that is not just restoring the works of art, but also restoring women’s place in art history. Over the past 10 years, over 70 works of art are now restored.

When you think about it, art has always been used as a means of storytelling and has vastly enriched our lives. The world needs women to inspire us, to raise our spirits, and to serve as role models for our future generation of girls.

A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Asheville Art Museum is an example of how museums engage, inspire and enlighten communities. Museum leaders Kate Faulkner and Neal Page share how the Asheville Art Museum transforms lives through art.

When I’m visiting new places, I like to prepare my options for what to see and do. And one thing always on my agenda is going to a museum. Usually more than one. And why not? Museums are community centers and always make you feel good. Even smarter! And most likely there is a museum near you right now.

And lucky for us right here in Asheville, NC, the Asheville Art Museum was established by local artists  and is the third oldest art museum in the state. Big changes happened in the museum building during their major expansion and renovation project a few years ago and now it’s time to catch up!

Tune in! Only on Speaking of Travel! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Speaking of Travel And Leave No Trace TV Series with Richard Crawford continues, highlighting the importance of conservation, sustainable travel and eco-tourism. And sharing what the new year has in store.

This is the best time to catch up with Season One of Leave No Trace TV and Ricky shares the details so you can tune in and enjoy.  And he provides some updates on Season Two and where you can watch some fun trailers. And Ricky shares how traveling and seeing the world inspires him. And will inspire you!

Also, Ricky loves answering questions from you! If you have questions for Ricky, email mb@speakingoftravel and send along. On this episode of Speaking of Travel, Ricky shares what it's like for him to be on TV and what was his biggest travel mistake.  And he tells us about some weird food experiences. Spoiler alert...ICK!

And good news! Being a holiday episode, Ricky sings for you! A must listen!

Only on Speaking of Travel! Tune in and Happy Holidays!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Maria Grazia Marini, Director of Tourism for Ravenna, Italy, shares why this special city, once the capital of the Western Roman Empire, is today a blend of ancient mosaics, Roman architecture, and Dante magic.

I was recently in Italy and among the many places I visited, one of my favorites was the beautiful city of Ravenna. It is impossible to forget the incredible number of historic sites, remarkable buildings, museums, and churches, as well as an important list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Ravenna is a city of inspiration and Maria Grazia explains the story of Dante Alighieri and why his writings and poetry has made him an important voice for our modern times as he emerged as the poet of hope and desire and mercy.

Maria Grazia also shares why the fabulous restaurants and food in Ravenna is reminiscent of what it might have been like a hundred years ago. The food transports you to another time. This is truly a magical place!

A must listen, especially for anyone wanting to visit a part of Italy you might not have ever traveled before. And such a grand place indeed!

Only on Speaking of Travel! 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Lisa Jansen, a traveler and writer based in New Zealand, spent almost five years living in a camper van traveling around New Zealand. Lisa shares her experience and what inspires her to travel unconventionally.

 Lisa embarked on a life-changing adventure when she left her successful corporate career at 33. Her mission was to discover life beyond the conventional paths of marriage, parenthood, mortgages, and corporate life. 

Discover how these five transformative years spent as a nomadic lifestyle not only provided a broader picture of the world around her, but also unearthed profound answers within herself.

Her latest book - Life Done Differently: One Woman’s Journey on the Road Less Travelled, is a compelling memoir exploring the challenges and triumphs of navigating an alternative path in a world that often follows convention.

Also on Speaking of Travel is Tina Kinsey, Vice-president of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport  to share updates on the new terminal construction and how they are preparing for the expected huge volumes of holiday travelers and what you’ll want to know to be prepared yourself.

Whether you are flying for the first time or as part of your holiday tradition, remember that the skies are vast, and there is always something new to learn.

And with the new terminal construction going on, the key to successful holiday flying lies in continuous learning, thorough being prepared, and a commitment to staying current and proficient.

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Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Larry Olmsted is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author who has published many intriguing books and thousands of articles for major newspapers and magazines worldwide over the past 25+ years. 

And he personally broke or set three different Guinness World Records, in skiing, golf and poker. It's no wonder he was named one of the “10 Most Extreme U.S. Journalists” by the Society of Professional Journalists and Travel Writer of the Year by the State of Mississippi.

Larry shares why he wrote his book, Real Food, Fake Food: Why You Don’t Know What You’re Eating & What You Can Do About It, and explains why food is the one unifying element of travel and what he tries to learn about local and regional food wherever he visits.

As an active traveler, Larry is also a passionate cyclist and reveals his love of cycling tours, including his personal favorite, the combination of cycling and gastronomy.

He shares the fun he's had on some of his bike trips in Italy, including Tuscany, the Ligurian Coast, Piedmont and the Veneto. And his visits to Parma, Bologna and Emilia-Romagna touring cheese dairies, ham producers, and taking cooking lessons. Yummy!

With all this travel under his belt, Larry provides some useful and timely travel tips, including why you should hire a guide or take a tour to really get to know the places you travel.

A must listen. Only on Speaking of Travel!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Speaking of Travel And Leave No Trace TV series continues. Host Richard Crawford is in Australia editing the epic Season Two of the popular Leave No Trace TV show with producer and cameraman, Ben Alcott.

Ricky and Ben share where they are today in the editing process of Season Two of Leave No Trace TV and what they do in creating the show. And they share how traveling to all the continents this year changed their lives.

Also, Ricky and Ben offer advice to anyone who wants to do something adventurous and different but isn’t sure whether they’re capable and they share some important tips before going on your trip.

They also tell us about some of their most hair-raising moments and what the biggest challenges are in doing the show.

And, find out how their mission to promote sustainable travel determines where they will go next.

Only on https://speakingoftravel.net! Tune in!

And be sure to watch Season One of Leave No Trace TV on Amazon Prime and on many other streaming platforms around the world. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Fede Vargas was born in Mexico and raised in Canada. He’s a former adrenaline-driven sales exec who is now on a purpose-driven podcasting journey and the creator and host of the popular podcast My Most Authentic Life.

Fede shares how he connects with people choosing to live courageously and inspire and empower us to create the life we truly want to explore with self-compassion, self-care, and humility. His podcast was inspired and born because of his own transformational journey while living in Mexico. Discover what authenticity means to him and how travel shapes these experiences.

Also on Speaking of Travel, Tina Kinsey, Vice-president of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares how the new airport design more than doubles the square footage of the current terminal and is planned to accommodate future growth. Find out how the phasing of the new terminal will unfold to maintain safe airport operations for your passenger experience. 

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Jan Schroder is a travel writer and editor for close to 25 years and shares how she began her career. Jan provides advice for people who want to be successful travel writers and also reveals some useful travel tips.

For many years, Jan was the managing editor of a travel magazine and a freelance travel writer for well-known outlets including Fodor’s, Orbitz, Global Traveler and International Living. Today she focuses on writing and producing the monthly digital publication The Travel 100, which is part of The 100 Companies based in Atlanta.

Jan explores some of the most challenging parts of being a travel writer and shares some trends she is seeing in travel today.

Also on Speaking of Travel, grab your comfy sweaters and get ready to plan your ultimate getaway to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Mark Collins, Partnerships Manager for RomanticAsheville.com, the most popular online travel guide to the mountains and foothills surrounding Asheville and Western North Carolina, gives us the lowdown on the best ways to boost your energy and mood when the temps are cooler and sunshine is scarce. 

So stay tuned!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Speaking of Travel takes us into the private world of two maestros of the kitchen who share their passion for community with stories and inspirations to reveal what helped them become modern culinary legends.

Chef Erica McCier, also known as Chef Trudy, is the owner and executive chef of Indigenous Underground restaurant in Abbeville, SC. Chef Erica’s indomitable spirit, talents in the kitchen, and penchant for showcasing local ingredients have earned her a place on the 2023 roster of South Carolina Chef Ambassadors.

Also on Speaking of Travel, renowned Chef Steven Goff, owner and executive chef at Asheville, NC's beloved Tastee Diner, shares his early life experiences and how these life-changing moments launched his career as a chef and restaurant owner dedicated to supporting the local community through his food.

Just like certain people who are really good marathon runners, or pianists, or writers, others have what it takes to become legendary cooks. Stay tuned for more fabulous chefs coming up on the Speaking of Travel Foodie Lover Series.

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Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Amit Jaipuria, founder of Postcard Travel Club, is connecting luxury travelers with boutique hotels and tours that advance responsible tourism and shares why storytelling helps make travel a force for good. When you put people who live in and care about destinations at the center of travel content, their innate joy in sharing their stories and their passion for place says it all.

Amit shares the importance of storytelling in promoting responsible tourism and how Postcard is helping users identify hotels and tours that advance responsible tourism and helping them build their wish lists to travel more sustainably. And find out what's coming up at Postcard in the near future in terms of features.

With airports set as the core driver of travel and tourism industry changes, they are being transformed in the process. Also on this episode of Speaking of Travel, Tina Kinsey, Vice-president of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares how the airport is transforming right now and the purpose of all this change.

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Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Travel is known to change you. Surrounding yourself with different cultures, different people and different outlooks on life are bound to change all of us a bit. 

That’s one of the greatest things about traveling as a whole - apart from tasting the different cuisines of course! We are on a constant learning curve as we venture from our comfort zones.
 
The Speaking of Travel + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford continues. Richard is the host of the popular TV series Leave No Trace TV and we highlight the importance of conservation, sustainable travel and eco-tourism.

Ricky catches us up on Season Two of Leave No Trace TV and provides updates on when this new season is coming out. And he shares some ways we can be ambassadors when we travel and where he's most intrigued to go next.

You can watch Leave No Trace TV on Plex, a free, online streaming service. 

Tune in. Only on Speaking of Travel.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.