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Hear about travel to Cuba as the Amateur Traveler talks to 3 listeners of the show who joined this year’s trip to explore this beautiful and sometimes challenging country.Here’s a summary of the 2…

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Hear about travel to Cuba as the Amateur Traveler talks to 3 listeners of the show who joined this year’s trip to explore this beautiful and sometimes challenging country.Here’s a summary of the 2025 Amateur Traveler's Private Hola Cuba itinerary:Trip Overview Trip Name: Amateur Traveler's Private Hola Cuba Duration: 9 days / 8 nights Start & End Location: Havana, Cuba Group Size: 17 travelers Travel Style: Comfortable, immersive, support-for-the-Cuban-people focused Accommodation: Locally-owned guesthouses Meals Included: 8 breakfasts 6 lunches 7 dinners Transport: Private transport t…

In this episode, Johnny Jet shares his deeply personal story of overcoming a debilitating fear of flying before becoming a travel expert.A dream trip to Australia in high school was derailed when, at …

In this episode, Joh…

In this episode, Johnny Jet shares his deeply personal story of overcoming a debilitating fear of flying before becoming a travel expert.A dream trip to Australia in high school was derailed when, at the airport, he had a panic attack and refused to board the plane, devastating his family and himself. He spent the next three years struggling with Anxiety and fear—not just of flying, but even of leaving home.Learn what triggered this and how Johnny dealt with it.Johnny created a travel newsletter and website in 1995 that he has been publishing ever since.✅ Tips for Overcoming Fear of Flying…

Hear about travel to Germany’s Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Kepnes (Nomadic Matt) about his visit to the hills and woods of southwest Germany.Why should y…

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Hear about travel to Germany’s Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Kepnes (Nomadic Matt) about his visit to the hills and woods of southwest Germany.Why should you go to the Black Forest?Matt says, "You'll find incredible hiking, lots of lakes, waterfalls, and cute little quintessential German towns with beautiful architecture. There are also a lot of hot springs around the Baden Baden area. Plus, there's just great food and I just really loved the welcoming vibe of the people."Matt’s Suggested Black Forest Itinerary:Day 1–2: Heidelberg Why go: It is …

Hear about travel to the Basque Country in France and Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Craig Anderson about his recent trip to the home of the Basque.Why should someone go to the Basque Country?…

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Hear about travel to the Basque Country in France and Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Craig Anderson about his recent trip to the home of the Basque.Why should someone go to the Basque Country?"It's a very unique region so it's got some unique architecture, it's got unique history. The culture is unique and fairly compact, so you can get around and explore the whole thing in a week. There's obviously other things that you can go see if you wanted to spend a little more time."Craig's 7-day Basque Country itinerary (France & Spain) includes a mix of historic towns, stunning coastal la…

Hear about travel to Genoa and Liguria in Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Enrica, Ligurian food expert from ASmallKitcheninGenoa.com about her home region in Italy.Why should you travel to Ligu…

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Hear about travel to Genoa and Liguria in Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Enrica, Ligurian food expert from ASmallKitcheninGenoa.com about her home region in Italy.Why should you travel to Liguria?Enrica says, "Liguria is a wonderful region, not just because this is my region, but there are many reasons for traveling here. First of all, for its spectacular scenery. We have a mix of mountains and sea with dramatic cliffs, hidden coves, and trails. But we also have other fantastic landscapes like the well-known dry and stone walls, so-called Muretti a Secco, which are awarded as a patrimo…

Hear about travel to Duluth, Minnesota as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel photographer Autumn Carolynn about this city on Lake Superior that has captured her heart.Why should you go to Duluth?Aut…

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Hear about travel to Duluth, Minnesota as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel photographer Autumn Carolynn about this city on Lake Superior that has captured her heart.Why should you go to Duluth?Autumn says, "There are so many reasons why Duluth to me is a place that someone can go and feel like they are at home, I feel like it is just so unbelievably beautiful, but it's also a place where you feel at peace and you feel calm. So it is one of the top places in my mind. I had this goal to go to 30 countries before I turned 30 and out of all the places that I've been to, Duluth is still my num…

In this episode, friend of the show Gary Arndt turns the tables on host Chris Christensen and asks him questions about Amateur Traveler, giving a behind-the-scenes view of the podcast.Here are some of…

In this episode, fri…

In this episode, friend of the show Gary Arndt turns the tables on host Chris Christensen and asks him questions about Amateur Traveler, giving a behind-the-scenes view of the podcast.Here are some of the questions that this episode will answer about the Amateur Traveler podcast:Origin Story:"How did you come up with the idea of the Amateur Traveler?""What was the format originally?"...https://amateurtraveler.com/questions-and-answers/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hear about travel to Stuttgart, Germany as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Kristin Montgomery from growingglobalcitizens.com and mycornerofgermany.com about her corner of Germany in the Baden-Wuer…

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Hear about travel to Stuttgart, Germany as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Kristin Montgomery from growingglobalcitizens.com and mycornerofgermany.com about her corner of Germany in the Baden-Wuerttemberg region. Why should you go to Stuttgart? Kristin says, "Stuttgart is the car capital of Germany. It's home to Porsche and Mercedes Benz. It's a wine region. In fact, there are actually vineyards within the city, which is pretty cool. And around here, there are some amazing castles and also some really cool special events that I'm going to tell you about."Kristin recommends an itinerary t…

Hear about travel to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kathy Condon from the Palm Springs Insider Guide about this desert tourist area she calls home.Why should yo…

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Hear about travel to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kathy Condon from the Palm Springs Insider Guide about this desert tourist area she calls home.Why should you go to Palm Springs?Kathy says, "Imagine living in a place where you have 350 days of sunshine. It's hard to explain that how alive Palm Springs is with the arts."Kathy highlights the region’s year-round sunshine, boutique hotels, midcentury modern architecture, outdoor adventures, arts and culture, and vibrant dining scene.Below is a detailed guide based on her recommendations:Where to StayPal…

Hear about travel to off-the-beaten-track regions of Colombia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Justin Barnes about multi-color rivers, granite monoliths, giant palm trees, and deserts.Why should you g…

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Hear about travel to off-the-beaten-track regions of Colombia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Justin Barnes about multi-color rivers, granite monoliths, giant palm trees, and deserts.Why should you go to these places in Colombia?Justin says, "These locations are all extremely unique. Caño Cristales is unlike anything we've ever seen. It's full of colors, red, green and gold in the river. The area near Inírida called Mavecure is three giant hills. Just imagine something like if you took a half dome or El Capitan and just drop them in the middle of the rainforest, sticking up 2000 feet abov…

Hear about travel to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates as the Amateur Traveler talks about an unexpected trip to the region.Why should you visit the UAE?The United Arab Emirates is an odd combination…

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Hear about travel to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates as the Amateur Traveler talks about an unexpected trip to the region.Why should you visit the UAE?The United Arab Emirates is an odd combination of new and old. It is a multi-cultural country where 90% of the people who live there are guest workers from around the world. It is very modern, but if you look closely, you can find historic sites.Travel on this trip was sponsored by United Airlines. They wanted me to review their Polaris Business class as a solo international traveler.Here's the itinerary that Chris recommends based on his tri…

Hear about travel to Timor-Leste as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jonty Crane about this small out of the way tropical country where he is doing volunteer work.Why should you go to Timor-Leste?Jonty s…

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Hear about travel to Timor-Leste as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jonty Crane about this small out of the way tropical country where he is doing volunteer work.Why should you go to Timor-Leste?Jonty says, "... Because nobody else goes if that's your thing. It was quite a shock when I went to Australia, and there were tourists. Whereas going around Timor, there's almost no tourists. So that's a bonus. And it has world-class snorkeling, world-class diving, world-class hiking."Jonty recommends an itinerary for Timor-Leste that spans approximately a week, balancing time in Dili, nearby islands, an…

Hear about travel to the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia as the Amateur Traveler talks to James Schomburgk about his adventures in this out of the way destination.Why should you visit the Eyre Penin…

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Hear about travel to the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia as the Amateur Traveler talks to James Schomburgk about his adventures in this out of the way destination.Why should you visit the Eyre Peninsula?James says, "Because of its remoteness, it's probably the lowest number of tourists in Australia. And yet it's listed as one of the biggest hidden gems in the world because of the scenery. The scenery is magical. If you're looking for classic Australian beaches, pure white sand, stunning water, fantastic cliff scenery, and some of the best surf beaches in the world. The wildlife is certainly …

Hear about travel to the Languedoc Region as the Amateur Traveler talks to Craig from Dallas about his road trip through the historic cities of Southern France, including Montpellier, Albi, Sete, Bezi…

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Hear about travel to the Languedoc Region as the Amateur Traveler talks to Craig from Dallas about his road trip through the historic cities of Southern France, including Montpellier, Albi, Sete, Beziers, Carcassonne, and Toulouse.Why should you visit the Languedoc?Craig, says, "We've been trying to spend more time in smaller regions [of France]. I think this is a really, specific and unique region to try to go to because it does have some regional differences that make it interesting, say from other parts of France. You're going to find a lot of the same things here that you would think of go…

Hear about travel to Machi Picchu as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael from Rochester about his Bucket List visit to this famous Inca site and more in Peru.Why should you visit Machu Picchu?Michae…

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Hear about travel to Machi Picchu as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael from Rochester about his bucket list visit to this famous Inca site and more in Peru.Why should you visit Machu Picchu?Michael says, "I'm going to tell you why I wanted to go to Machu Picchu. First, as I have to say, probably a fifth-grade student, it was just one of those iconic historical places that I remember from my childhood. Always saying, 'I'm going to go there someday.'"Michael recommends a carefully planned itinerary for visiting Machu Picchu and its surrounding areas, focusing on acclimatization, cultural imm…

Hear about travel to Paraguay as the Amateur Traveler talks to Alex from AdventureToEveryCountry.com about this lesser-visited country that he has come to love.Why should you visit Paraguay?Alex says,…

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Hear about travel to Paraguay as the Amateur Traveler talks to Alex from AdventureToEveryCountry.com about this lesser-visited country that he has come to love.Why should you visit Paraguay?Alex says, "So Paraguay is more about the culture than anything else. It's not a country that you come to for bucket list tourist attractions. That's something where you might go to neighboring Brazil for Rio or Iguazu Falls on the border with Argentina. Paraguay is much more low-key. It's more about authentic culture, getting to know the locals, and getting off the tourist trail."Alex recommends several at…

Hear about travel to Menorca, Spain, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kristin Henning from travelpast50.com about her visit to the northernmost of the Balearic Islands.Why should you visit Menorca?Kri…

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Hear about travel to Menorca, Spain, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kristin Henning from travelpast50.com about her visit to the northernmost of the Balearic Islands.Why should you visit Menorca?Kristin says, "In a nutshell, it is so appealing because the entire island of Menorca is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is just stunning, nature wall to wall. It's just a small, relaxed island. It's one-fifth the size of Mallorca, with only one-tenth the population. So it's very easy to relax and enjoy the outdoors and all that this very historic small island has to offer."Kristin recommends several …

Hear about travel to Ushuaia, Argentina, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Naomi Linford from "Forever Out Of Office" about her winter trip to the southernmost city in the world.Why should you go to Us…

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Hear about travel to Ushuaia, Argentina, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Naomi Linford from "Forever Out Of Office" about her winter trip to the southernmost city in the world.Why should you go to Ushuaia?Naomi says, "I think it has the kind of status as one of those places that you go to, to say you've been to the most southern city in the world. But there's just so much more to see: glaciers, national parks, and a lot of history. The area has to offer that you can explore by spending a bit more time there. It's where the tail of the Andes meets the open ocean, and you get that final fronti…