Archives: Episodes

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We’re back with another Voyager Chat this week. But first, if you missed our Monday episode, we chatted about killer bees at Joshua Tree and a Voyager story about getting stranded on the open seas in the Galapagos. Check out that episode here: Killer Bees and a Galapagos Search and Rescue Mission 

We LOVE telling Voyager submission on the air: please submit your story here.

 

 

Life Lessons from Travel with Rachel Rudwall

Now back to our Voyager Chat this week! We spoke with Rachel Rudwall of Rachel Roams. Rachel is an Emmy nominated TV host, producer, writer, photographer, but most of all she’s an adventure traveler. She was recently named an Explorers Club “Fellow” alongside greats like Buzz Aldrin, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Elon Musk. Through her travels Rachel has paraglided with a hawk, climbed Kilimanjaro and gone scuba diving with bull sharks cage-free! 

On today’s episode Rachel chats with us about some of her most transformative travel experiences, like the time getting food poisoning in Patagonia taught her a lesson in humility and how a car wreck in Turkey taught her to trust her gut.

 

 

Transformative Travel Experiences

We kick off this episode with our Not So Fab 5 questions. Rachel tells us…

For her main stories, Rachel tells about her time traveling to Patagonia solo. As a veteran traveler she felt like she was independent and didn’t need to rely on anyone else while traveling. But when she got food poisoning from a spoiled crab salad, Rachel learned a lesson in humility and taking help from others. 

Then Rachel chats with us about the time she went against her gut and got into a taxi that didn’t feel safe in Turkey. The taxi didn’t have seat belts and their ride to the airport on the highway was super dangerous. Things only got worse when Rachel and her friends found themselves surrounded by semi-automatic rifles at the airport! Yikes!

 

 

Timestamps

[3:35] Eating putrified shark in Iceland

[6:25] The difficulties of traveling in India

[11:00] Instagram, bucketlists and the problem with travel today

[19:10] Wicked food poisoning in Patagonia (plus a humbling travel experience)

[28:40] Trusting your instinct and wild taxi ride in Turkey

 

You can learn more about Rachel here:

Rachel Roams Website

Rachel Roams Instagram

Rachel Roams Facebook

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Welcome back Voyagers! We’ve got a short, but sweet, episode for you today chatting about some crazy travel news from the past week.

But first, if you missed our Voyager Chat from Thursday, we sat down with Mike Corey from the Youtube channel Fearless and Far. Mike is a travel filmmaker who has documented some of the most bizarre cultural traditions all around the world. Mike told us some hilarious stories, including our first pants-pooping story! He also chatted with us about the time he tripped on frog poison in a traditional Kambo ceremony in the Amazon. You won’t want to miss this: Tripping on Frog Poison in the Amazon with Mike Corey.

Now back to today’s episode! Here’s what we covered:

 

 

Chartered Plane Denied Entry to Italy

Last week we chatted about Europe opening up July 1st, but unfortunately US citizens are banned from visiting. It was all over the headline so everyone must have known about it! Apparently not! In the same week that Europe eased restrictions on travel, a private jet was chartered from Colorado, US to Sardinia, Italy. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t find out about the travel ban until they landed and were denied entry! Oops!

 

The Rio de Janeiro Beaches are Closed for Business

Bad news for travelers who wanted to visit the beaches of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The mayor just announced that the beaches will not fully open until there is a COVID vaccine. They tried to open the beaches earlier this month but people disregarded the rules of social distancing and wearing masks. So if we can’t have nice things, they get taken away! Bad news for those who were hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl from Ipanema…

 

Honey Bees taking over Joshua Tree

Over the weekend, Joshua Tree National Park had to close the Jumbo Rocks Campground because of aggressive honey bees. The park’s superintendent said ‘there were a couple of vehicles with a lot of bees in them. And campsites. Visitors were very uncomfortable’. Apparently the bees are looking for water to go cool down the hive.

 

The San Cristobal Galapagos Wild Ride

Finally our Voyager submission this week comes from Kristy from Ventre’s Adventures, a student travel company that does group trips. Three years ago Kristy took a group of kids to the Galapagos and ended up on a wild ride in the middle of the ocean! What was supposed to be a beautiful island hopping trip ended in a vomit-inducing search and rescue mission. Listen up to hear about how she handled it!

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We’re back with another awesome Voyager Chat this week, but first if you missed Monday’s episode, give it a listen! We chat about yet another bison attack in Yellowstone National Park (when will these people learn!?) and Jules tells a Voyager submission story about a hiking couple that gets separated in Nepal. Listen up here: Wildlife Attacks On The Elderly and The Lost Hiker In Nepal.

Got an interesting ‘not so bon voyage’ we can tell on air? Submit your story here.

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For our Voyager Chat this week we sit down with Mike Corey, AKA Fearless and Far. As a kid Mike was a total scaredy cat, so he’s made it his life’s mission to conquer all his fears through traveling. Mike’s travel films focus on bizarre attractions and unique cultures of the world, including getting tattooed by a head hunter tattooist and taking part in a frog poison cleanse in the Amazon. Frog poison you ask?! Yep! Mike is spilling the beans on all the nauseating details of his frog poison Kambo experience ritual!

 

 

But first, we kick off today’s episode with our “Not So Fab 5” questions. Mike tells us about the time he ate Etag in the Philippines, ie. boiled smoked pork with maggots. Yikes! Then he chats with us about how ended up sleeping on cow skin rugs on the floor of a hut in Namibia. 

For his main story, Mike tells us about his experience doing a Kambo ritual in the Amazon. He tells us about how him and his friend had to entrust a sketchy looking guy in a park to find a shaman. This story gets crazier and crazier as he explains how he had to trek through the jungle for hours before reaching a remote village. He and his friend were initiated by inhaling an unknown substance through an eagle bone! When the ceremony began Mike was the last one to have his arm burnt and the poison inserted. What happens when the poison kicks into his system is a wild ride! 

 

 

Timestamps:

[7:15] Mike tells us about the wildest thing he’s ever eaten. This is by far the craziest we’ve heard on the show!

[17:20] Mike’s worst place he’s ever slept turned out to be the best as well!

[28:00] Find his Kambo tour guide

[40:50] Inhaling a mystery powder through an eagle bone

[45:00] Mike’s turn to take the Kambo!

 

You can learn more about Mike Corey here:

Fearless and Far YouTube

Fearless & Far Instagram

Fearless and Far Website

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On this week’s episode of the Not So Bon Voyage podcast, we have an important update – we’ve moved to San Francisco! We’ll be podcasting from the beautiful Marina neighborhood of the city by the bay!

Here’s what we cover on this week’s episode…

 

Europe Bans Americans Travelers

We kick off today’s episode by chatting about how Europe is starting to open up to nonessential travelers this month. This exciting news for a lot of nationalities except… Americans! People from the US are still banned from traveling to Europe. The number of COVID cases in Europe have been steadily declining while the cases in the US have been rapidly increasing. US citizens can go to Britain and Ireland, but most quarantine for 2 weeks when they arrive.

 

 

The $37,000 Cruise Bill

Then Jules tells Christine about an unfortunate SF resident called CJ Hayden, who set off on a 111 day around the world cruise back in January on the Pacific Princess. But the bad luck didn’t end there, as Hayden, along with other guests, had a huge refund that they were owed because the trip was cancelled. Hayden, and her partner, say they are owed around $37,000US as a result of the trip being cancelled! Such a bummer! We’ll give an update when the couple (hopefully) gets their money! Read more here: COVID cruise drama.

 

Yellowstone Woman Gored By Bison

Another Yellowstone bison attack, you ask?! Yes! We have covered these stories on past episodes and we hate to report that yet another Yellowstone visitor has been attacked by a bison. This time a 72 year old woman was getting too close taking photos and was gored by the animal. Remember guys, stay at least 25 yards away from these animals! They can outrun, out jump and definitely out-gore you! Read more: Woman Gored By Bison.

 

 

Space By 2021

This may not be a ‘not so bon voyage’ exactly, but it’s still an awesome travel story so we had to cover it! A company called Space Perspectives in Florida is planning on sending travelers to the ‘edge of space’ in the next few years. The trip will take 6 hours and will include a beverage cart of 360 views of space! Listen up to hear how much the trip will cost and how to reserve your ticket. We’re accepting invitations if you want to bring us along! Read more here: Trips To The Edge of Space. 

 

 

She Went What-a-Way?

We wrap up this episode with an epic Voyager submission story. This submission comes from Campbell and Alya, world travelers and bloggers over at Stingy Nomads. Campbell and Alya are avid hikers who went on a multi-day hike across the Annapurna circuit in Nepal. The pair often split up from time to time to hike solo, but always meet up at any intersections or junctions. They always end up at the same spot in the end…. At least that’s usually the case!

Unfortunately this time didn’t end up so well. When Campbell separated from Alya and realized he had both their passports, all their food, all their water and all their cash, we started to get really nervous! Listen up to hear how the couple overcame the challenge to be reunited in the end! Read about Campbell and Alya’s Annapurna Circuit trip.

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Welcome back Voyagers! We’re switching up the format around here. We’ll still be releasing our Monday show with just the two of us. But instead of long detailed travel stories, we’ll be sharing shorter ‘in the news’ stories, Voyager submissions and the occasional longer story from our travels or other famous travel related stories. Of course, we’ll always be on the topic of when shit goes wrong on the road!

We’ll also be releasing Voyager Chats on Thursdays where we sit down with travelers and hear their ‘not so bon voyages’ in their own words! Speaking of Voyager Chats, if you haven’t listened to our chat from last week with Sarah Dodd, give it a listen. Sarah is an inspirational speaker, a coach and a solo female traveler who has visited 121 countries. Sarah chats with us about surviving Malaria in Liberia and convincing a taxi driver to smuggle her over a border. This girl has some wild stories! Listen here: Surviving Malaria in Liberia with Sarah Dodd from Nomadic Dreamer.

Now onto today’s episode…

 

#WheresHelen

The time has come to finally call Jules’ mom Helen! For the past 3 weeks we’ve called her out on the podcast demanding answers as to why she doesn’t listen! We gave her 3 weeks to respond and this week we called her live on air. Listen up to hear the reason she hasn’t been listening!

 

Grand Canyon Is Heating Up!

Grand Canyon is an unforgiving environment. The heat inside the canyon can cause shoes to come apart, and heavy hiking boots can trap sweat and lead to painful blisters. Before setting off on a hike, understand the limitations of yourself and your gear. https://t.co/PLebJv4uTz pic.twitter.com/fvB4DgHcl2

— Grand Canyon NPS (@GrandCanyonNPS) June 22, 2020

First up, Jules tells us that officials are warning travelers that the Grand Canyon is going to be HOT this year! As travel starts to open up, more and more Americans are setting off on domestic road trips. And the Grand Canyon is an iconic road trip in the Western US. Last week’s temperature got as high as 110F / 43C and with reduced staff and limited helicopter capability their search and rescue mission efforts will be reduced. Not a great combination!

Then Jules takes us on a little deep dive into ‘not so bon voyages’ around the Grand Canyon. The most common way people die at the Grand Canyon? Nope, not falling in! Dehydration is actually the number one cause of death. Stay hydrated people! Read more about this story here: Grand Canyon Extreme Heat.

 

Vegas Re-opens, But Grab Your Masks!

Then Christine tells Jules about Vegas re-opening, this time with masks! Caesars Entertainment was giving out $20 gambling chips to reward people wearing masks. Now they’re just outright requiring that visitors wear masks. MGM is following suit and requiring masks as well. Read more here: Caesars, MGM requires all guests to wear masks in all resorts.

 

Baby Born on Flight

Then Jules tells us a very recent story of a woman giving birth on an Emirates flight! Thankfully there were two Carnival Breeze nurses on board, Christine Anne and John. The woman delivered the baby successfully and even got a pretty sweet perk from delivering her baby on board! Learn more about the story here: Cruise Nurse Delivers Baby.

 

Deposit Needed for Cambodia Travel

Good news! Cambodia is opening back up for travelers! The bad news? You’ll need to put down a $3,000 deposit just to get there! Christine chats about what exactly the deposit covers, including a COVID test and potential hospital bills if you get sick. Don’t forget that before you travel anywhere, make sure you have travel insurance in case things go haywire! Get a quote here: 

Kayaking in The Utah Industrial Canals

 

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A post shared by Dane (@giveusthisdane) on Jun 15, 2020 at 8:18am PDT

Last week a series of photographs went viral on social media showing the water in a Utah canal turn bright blue. People from all over flocked to see it for themselves. They swam and kayaked in the canal, and of course got more gorgeous shots of the water in contrast to the surrounding salt flats. Unfortunately what nobody told them was the canals are part of industrial facilities leased to Intrepid Potash for potash mining. Apparently the water is a concentrated brine solution and not safe for swimming. Oops! Learn more about the canals here: Majestic canals near Bonneville Salt Flats ‘not safe for public recreation’

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We’re back with another Voyager Chat this week! But first, if you missed our Monday show, definitely give that a listen. We chat about why the Into the Wild bus is on the move and Christine tells a story of hidden treasure hunts that have tragic ends. Listen up here: The Deadly Quest for a $2,000,000 Treasure Chest

Now back to our Voyager Chat! Our guest Sarah Dodd, aka the Nomadic Dreamer, is a world traveler, inspirational speaker and personal development coach. She’s traveled to 121 countries solo has plans to visit every country in the world. She documents her travels on her Instagram page, 1nomadicdreamer. Sarah is a true adventurer traveler who is never misses the opportunity to get off the beaten track. She avoids crowded tourist traps at all costs and loves being the only traveler in a place so she can truly get to know the local community. As you can guess, Sarah’s traveling style has lead to some epic adventurers and some really crazy not so bon voyages!

 

 

First, we kick off the episode with our “Not So Fab 5” questions. We learn about Sarah’s experience eating balut (fertilized egg embryo) in the Philippines and why she’s not such a big fan of the Eiffel Tower. She also tells us about some interesting sleeping situations she’s gotten herself into while Couchsurfing and why it was all a positive experience!

Then Sarah gets into her main stories. She tells us about the time she got malaria in Liberia. Getting sick abroad is never fun but it’s especially scary when you’re by yourself! After feeling terrible Sarah finally dragged herself to a clinic where the doctors told her she was basically on death’s door. 

 

 

Then she tells us about the time she got caught between the border crossings of Togo and Ghana in West Africa, with neither country letting her enter! Not wanting to get stuck in a border town alone after dark, she had to use some quick thinking and a bit of luck to get out of that tricky situation!

Here’s what we chat about:

[5:00] Eating balut in the Philippines

[11:00] Overrated landmarks around the world

[20:30] Coming down with Malaria in Liberia

[30:50] Getting stuck between two borders in Western Africa!

 

You can learn more about Sarah Dodd:

1NomadicDreamer Instagram

Nomadic Dream Website

SarahDodd.com

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This week we’re giving an update on the Into the Wild bus and telling a story about buried treasure!

But first, if you missed our Voyager Chat on Thursday, be sure to check out our episode with comedian Mike Siegel. Mike tells us about the time he was stuck in a mini military coup in Ethiopia. He also tells us what it was like when he saw someone taking his passport away while being detained in a Nigerian airport. For lots of laughs, go and have a listen to Mike Siegel’s Voyager Chat.

 

 

Into the Wild Bus Removed!

We kick off this week’s episode with an update on the beloved bus from Into the Wild. If you’re not familiar with the epic travel story that was turned into a book and movie, we covered the story of Chris McCandless in episode 40. If you haven’t heard the story, give it a listen: The Truth Behind Into The Wild.

After the release of the book and the movie, travelers from all over the world would pilgrimage to the Into the Wild bus in Alaska to live the adventure for themselves. Unfortunately the adventure ended poorly for some of the travelers, with a few trips ending in injury and even death. The local authorities and residents had been debating whether to remove the bus to avoid these mishaps. Finally last Thursday the Alaska National Guard removed the bus by helicopter. No announcement yet as to what the plans are for the bus but hopefully it is preserved somewhere we can visit! Read more about the Into the Wild bus movements here.

 

 

The $2 Million Treasure Hunt

For the main story, Christine tells Jules the story of Forrest Fenn’s $2,000,000 hidden treasure chest. It may sound like a children’s book, but Fenn swears this chest is real and is anyone’s for the taking! Forrest who is known as a real life Indiana Jones announced in 2010 that he has buried a treasure chest filled with gold coins, precious gems and valuable artifacts. 

We talk about adventurers who have traveled from near and far for their chance at the riches, some of which ended in demise. Then I do the grand reveal of whether the treasure is real or not! Learn more about the treasure hunt here: Treasure Hunt in the Rockies.

Read the poem with clues here: https://www.oldsantafetradingco.com/the-thrill-resource-page

Read about the tragic death of Eric Ashby here: https://www.westword.com/news/eric-ashby-finally-idd-as-rafter-who-died-looking-for-forrest-fenn-treasure-9931452

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Welcome back to our Voyager Chat series! But first, if you missed our Monday show, definitely give that a listen. We chat about some brand new travel news (finally!) including airplanes to nowhere and exploring the deepest parts of the ocean. Then Jules tells Christine the true story behind the book and movie Jungle. You’ll hear about Yossi Ghinsberg and his three traveling companions as they attempt to survive the Amazon jungle. Click here to listen to The Yossi Ghinsberg Story: Jaguars, Hidden Treasure and Jungle Survival.

 

 

Now back to our Voyager Chat! Mike Siegel is another fellow podcaster at the Travel Tales podcast where he hosts lighthearted conversations highlighting the best and worst experiences that travel has to offer. He’s a stand up comedian, former TV host and avid traveler. He’s worked all over the world including performing stand up on cruise ships. Mike’s work and travel has put him in some crazy situations, which he gets into on the show. 

First, we kick off the episode with our “Not So Fab 5” questions. We learn about Mike’s experience projectile vomiting in India and the time he woke up on the beach to see wild dingos sniffing his feet.

Then Mike gets into his main stories. He tells us about the time he got caught in a military coup in Ethiopia. 

Then he tells us the story of the time he was detained for 9 hours in a Nigerian airport. Just trying to wait in the airport for a connecting flight, there was a mix up about whether he needed a visa or not. They took away his passport (always scary!); you’ll have to listen to hear if he gets it back!

 

 

Here’s what we chat about:

[9:50] Projectile vomiting in India

[19:00] Finding out there was a military coup happening in Ethiopia while he was there

[29:30] Visa troubles at the Nigerian airport

[30:30] Watching his passport walk away from him

 

You can learn more about Mike Siegel and the The Travel Tales Podcast:

The Travel Tales Podcast: http://www.traveltalespodcast.com

The Travel Tales Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traveltalespodcast/

The Travel Tales Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/traveltalespod 

The Travel Tales Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traveltalespodcast/

And listen to the Travel Tales Podcast here:

• iTunes
• Stitcher
• Spotify

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We kick off this week’s episode with a #WheresHelen update! Jules’ mom still has not tuned in to our podcast, so she has one more week before we call her live on air to explain herself! The clock is ticking Helen!

And guess what…. travel is finally starting to kick up again and we can’t wait to share the travel news!

 

Songshan Airport and Flights to Nowhere

The Songshan Airport in Taiwan is catering to traveler’s desires to feel like they’re going on a trip. They are offering 90 people a day the opportunity to pretend that they’re going on vacation. These “travelers” will be taken on a half day tour of the airport, including a fake immigration experience, as well as a chance to board and disembark the plane.

The catch? They’re not actually going anywhere! This experience gives new travelers a chance to practice the process of going through customs and learn how to properly enter and exit a plane. Sounds like a big tease if you ask us! If you’re interested click here to learn more about Songshan Airport’s flights to nowhere.

 

 

Kathy Sullivan Visit the Deepest Part of the World

Kathy Sullivan may be one of the coolest adventurers we’ve ever talked about on this podcast. Back in 1984, she was the first American woman to walk in space. And as of last Sunday, she is now the first person to reach the deepest known spot in the ocean. Kathy is a 68 year old astronaut and oceanography who went on a 35,810 foot dive to the Challenger Deep, which is what they call the deepest point in the ocean near Guam. You go girl! Learn more about Kathy Sullivan’s story here.

 

 

Yossi Ghinsberg and His Amazon Survival Story

It’s Jules’ time to shine this week and he’s back with another doozy of a story! This week Jules is telling us the true story of the 2017 film Jungle with Daniel Radcliff. Jungle is the crazy survival story of Yossi Ghinsberg, a young Isreali backpacker in the Amazon jungle of Bolivia. Yossi meets a group of three other travelers and ends up on a wild adventure through one of the most dangerous landscapes in the world.

This story has it all – travel, treasure hunts, mischievous international criminals and nail-biting twists and turns.

You can read Yossi Ghinsberg’s Amazon survival story here.

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We’re back with our regularly scheduled travel programming this week. Thanks for tuning in last week for our bonus episode, as we discussed a cause that is much more important than travel at the moment – Black Lives Matter.

Last week we published a very brief episode featuring 7 Black hosted podcasts to listen to. We wanted to quiet our voices to give space and support to our colleagues in the Black community. If you haven’t listened yet, please check out our latest episode: The Episode Where We STFU and Let Others Be Heard.

 

Vegas Reopens Its Doors

We kick off this episode with some very exciting news – there is travel news! As the world slowly starts to open up during this pandemic, we look forward to seeing what this means for the world of travel.

We chat about Las Vegas beginning to reopen. This week some casinos opened their doors to players. While the casinos are taking precautions, unfortunately a lot of players aren’t wearing masks! Yikes!

 

 

Venice Opens, Venice Floods

Vegas isn’t the only world famous destination starting to open its doors to tourists. Venice, Italy has reopened to travelers looking to walk along its famous bridges and ride its gondolas. Italy was hit hard early during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they’re slowly starting to open their doors again. Unfortunately, Mother Nature isn’t ready! Just as travelers returned Venice was hit with record high flooding.

 

The True Story Behind ‘Into the Wild’

Then for our main story, Christine uncovers the truth behind the famous story of Into the Wild. This is the story of a young man named Chris McCandless who wanted to ditch society and adventure completely off the grid. His story was made into a book called Into the Wild by Jon Krakaeur and into a movie of the same name. This is one of the most famous travel tales of all time, inspiring a generation of travelers looking for the ultimate adventure.

 

 

Christine tells Jules exactly which part of the book was true and which part was… creative license. Spoiler alert: a lot was made up! We also chat about our impression of Chris from the book and the movie, and why he really wanted to leave his life and family behind.

Then we chat about the legacy Chris’ adventure has had on other travelers and the pilgrimage many take to his infamous bus in the Alaskan bush. To learn more about the story, check out these resources Christine used to research the story:

The Pilgrimage To The ‘Into The Wild’ Bus Keeps Getting People Stranded And Killed In The Alaskan Wilderness By Natasha Ishak

The fiction that is Jon Krakauer’s ‘Into The Wild’ by Craig Medred

Does ‘The Wild Truth’ Tell the True Story of Chris McCandless? By Alex Heard

Into the McCandless Bus