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Travel Tales by AFAR is a podcast about transformative travel. Each week, we hear from a different person about a trip that changed their life.
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Photo by Avani Rai
In season four of Travel Tales by AFAR, we explore the rivers and deserts of the U.S., the food of France, and the culture of Mumbai (pictured).
Episodes
Abdi Nor Iftin fled Somalia’s civil war—and was diagnosed with PTSD soon after immigrating to the U.S. His cure? Mother Nature.
Stranded giraffes. Resourceful conservationists. On a trip to Kenya, wildlife photographer Ami Vitale documented their dramatic tale.
On a last-minute trip to Rio de Janeiro, author Carmen Maria Machado luxuriates in beach feasts, practices small talk—and confronts her travel anxiety.
Recalling her first trip to Africa, a Black journalist reflects on missed opportunities—and a legacy she’s finally ready to explore.
Up first: A train trip that schools one traveler in the art of Canadian kindness and a journey into the world of Spain’s female flamenco guitar players.
Writer Lisa Abend steps inside the small, family-run workshops where the ancient art of bookmaking lives on and sees a side of Italy too many travelers miss.
At a time when most Americans are staying close to home, our new podcast brings the magic of travel to you.
From its deserts to its reefs, Australia’s unique ecosystems have long been under pressure from human activity. Now some humans are helping nature push back.
On a rail adventure through the Canadian Maritimes, Colleen Kinder encounters tiny towns and glittering cities, dramatic coastal landscapes and that sweet, strange brew that is Canadian kindness.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, we went back in the AFAR archives to honor some of our best storytellers.
When you take the time to listen, the country speaks through the buzz of bees, the hubbub of the market, the desert wind.
A former child prodigy travels to Spain to revisit the instrument of her youth—and to learn flamenco guitar from the tocaoras playing to the top of the male-dominated world.
Anya von Bremzen dives deep into one of the most ethnically diverse places on Earth—New York City’s borough of Queens.
New York comedian Negin Farsad headed into the heartland of her country, and fell head over heels for a two-state city in the middle of America.
Rahawa Haile grew up surrounded by the beauty and kitsch of South Florida. Now she returns and wonders what happens when the places we love start to disappear.
In Portugal, novelist Charmaine Craig searches for the ghost of her hero, goes on a high-speed chase for delicious pork, and ponders the mystery of a writer’s trunk.
How a nature-phobic city girl opened her eyes to the wild side of India that seethes beyond the tea plantations and languid rivers.
Photo by Peter Bohler
On an epic bike trip through the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert, a pair of travelers learns when to say yes to adventure.
On a cross-country Amtrak trip, a perpetually rushed traveler finds the gift of time.
No crowds. No cosplay. Just temples, trees, and a warm bath at the end of the day on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route.
A visually impaired traveler journeys through the wilds of Zimbabwe and discovers a side of the safari experience that very few know.
Writer Francis Lam discovers the island’s multicultural flavors when he joins a Malaysia-born San Francisco chef for a bittersweet homecoming.
Drummer Adam Levin of the X Ambassadors on life on the road and early morning cheeseburgers
Michael Evans went to Argentina to clear his head. Twelve years and a booming business later, he has no intention of leaving.
From Afghanistan to Sierra Leone, photographer Maria de la Guardia finds beauty and purpose in the most misunderstood corners of the world. Here, she shares the complicated realities of documenting stories during war.
Onetime royals in Rajasthan are holding onto their family estates the best way they can: by inviting us in.
Bookmark these to read over the weekend.
When you’re alone in Tokyo and you need someone to talk to, do as the locals do: Rent a friend.
Shots from Behind the Scenes of AFAR’s October Cover Story
What Author Paul Theroux Loves (and Hates) the Most About Travel