The Travel Diaries

On today’s season finale, I’m joined by one of the world’s greatest chefs, Raymond Blanc.Raymond had a very humble start to life in rural France and his journey to opening Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the internationally-renowned Cotswolds country house hotel where he’s been the chef patron since it opened in 1984 is nothing short of extraordinary. For half of his life he’s held two Michelin stars - the only chef in the UK to have retained two stars for so long. And of course in time, with his success, he has travelled the world, and has many stories to tell. I spoke to Raymond at the Cheval Three Quays apartments, looking out at the London skyline. I don’t think I’ve ever met somebody overflowing with as much passion and joie de vivre as Raymond. It came as no surprise to hear that 34 of his protégés have gone on to win their own Michelin stars, including Marco Pierre White and Michael Caines. His passion is infectious.Destination recap:Franche-Comté, FranceSwitzerlandProvence, FranceBesançon, FranceKuching, Malaysia Japanese Tea House Garden, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, EnglandBarocay, Philippines Hong KongNice, Provence, FranceBelmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons celebrates 35 years this year.Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram - I’m @hollyrubenstein - and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by one of the world’s most influential and multi-award winning travel writers, the global editor in chief of Condé Nast Traveller UK and US, Melinda Stevens. She’s a trend setter, taste maker and considered by many to be travel royalty. After beginning her writing career at Vogue Magazine, Melinda went on to become a columnist for the Sunday Times and Evening Standard, and the travel editor at Tatler, before taking the helm at Condé Nast Traveller.Reading Condé Nast Traveller - the way the writers would transport me to far flung places with the power of their words - was my inspiration for becoming a travel writer. So heading to its offices in the heart of London’s Mayfair, where the walls were lined with its iconic covers, was really thrilling.Unsurprisingly, Melinda has her finger on the pulse of the hottest destinations, which we of course discuss, as well as reflecting on some of the all time greats. And she gives a real insight into the makings of a top magazine. This is wanderlust guaranteed.Destination Recap:Frinton on sea, Essex, England The Long Mynd, Shropshire, England Bali, IndonesiaRoad trip from Seattle, Washington, through Idaho, Wyoming and MontanaRoad trip from Sun Valley Utah, through Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico Danakil Depression, EthiopiaKazakstan Charleston, South Carolina, USA                       The BahamasKerala, IndiaRajasthan, IndiaCala di Volpe, SardiniaAmilla Fushi, MaldivesHotel Escencia, MexicoLe Bristol, Paris The Mercer, New YorkLa Reserve, ParisHondurasBelgrade, Serbia Soviet Russia EgyptSleeper train from London to Scottish Highlands Belmond trainsJapanCondé Nast Traveller magazine is available in all good newsagents.You can follow Melinda's Instagram here, as well as the magazine here, for all the travel inspo you could ever need.Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram - I’m @hollyrubenstein - and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, I’m joined by Gyles Brandreth. Summing up the life and career of Gyles is no easy feat. He’s a prolific broadcaster, actor, journalist, novelist, biographer and podcaster, and he was formerly an MP and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. You'll have seen him on Celebrity Googlebox; Countdown's Dictionary Corner hundreds of times, as well as on numerous TV panel shows. He's even the President of the Association of British Scrabble Players!Through all these different jobs Gyles has travelled the world several times over, from Sri Lanka and Dubai to former Soviet Russia and East Germany. As you’ll hear, though, it’s the British seaside staycation that Gyles loves most.Destination recap:Norderney, GermanyIsle of Thanet, Kent, England Broadstairs, Kent, EnglandSwitzerlandCorfu, GreeceFranceIceland Isle of Wight, EnglandSri LankaIndiaDubaiSardiniaSicilyMexicoBelfast, Northern IrelandSwansea, WalesRussiaEast Berlin, East GermanyMekong Delta, Vietnam and CambodiaHeaven!‘Dancing by the Light of the Moon - over 250 poems to read, recite and relish’ is out now.Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram - I’m @hollyrubenstein - and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This is episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by James Lohan, the co-founder - and the Mr - of Mr & Mrs Smith, the much-loved boutique and luxury hotel booking service and travel club. It all began when James and his wife Tamara (aka Mrs Smith) decided to go about creating their own boutique hotel guidebook, travelling the UK to dine the best spots for a luxurious weekend break. The book was a huge success, and the business has since grown to include a popular online booking service, and its membership programme now has more than a million global members.In 2014, James and Tamara received MBEs for their services to the travel industry, and when I asked James how many hotels he’s visited, he estimated a whopping 2000.As soon as we started chatting, I knew this had to be a long haul feature length episode. As a bit of a hotel junkie myself, this was just so much fun, listening to James zig zag across the globe from one extraordinary destination to the other. Whatever you’re dreaming about, if you’re thinking of a weekend staycation or a mega honeymoon, I guarantee you’ll get some great inspiration from James.Destination recap: Polzeath Beach, Cornwall, EnglandTresanton Hotel, Cornwall, England Blakes Hotel, London, EnglandThe Witchery, Edinburgh, Scotland Drunken Duck Inn, Lake District, England Le Manoir aux quat’saisons, Oxfordshire, EnglandUxua Casa, Trancoso, BrazilVik, Southern Iceland Deplar Farm, Troll Peninsula, Iceland Soneva Fushi, The Maldives Il Latini, Florence, ItalyJK Place, Florence, ItalyLime Wood, New Forest, England Reschio, Umbria, Italy Ett Hem, Stockholm, SwedenFoxhill Manor, The Cotswolds, England Morokuru, De Hoop Nature Reserve, South AfricaGeorgiaNamibiaRwandaIndia MenorcaYou can find Mr & Mrs Smith online and on Instagram @mrandmrssmithThank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram - I’m @hollyrubenstein - and to find out more about the podcast, visit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Singer-songwriter Ella Eyre burst onto the music scene back in 2013 when she featured on the number one single, Waiting All Night, with Rudimental - which went on to win the BRIT award for best British single. She’s since toured the world, releasing hits like If I Go, Gravity, Came Here for Love and Just Got Paid and is now back with new material, most of which was written and recorded in Jamaica. We talk about her Maltese and Jamaican heritage, her obsession with Asian cuisine, the time she nearly became a professional swimmer, and her once in a lifetime performance on Richard Branson’s private island. Destination Recap: WalesMaltaBarcelona, SpainNecker Island, British Virgin IslandsFrenchman’s Cove, JamaicaFour Seasons Langkawi, Malaysia Lisbon, PortugalKanada-Ya restaurant, LondonSticks & Sushi restaurant, London La Clusaz, FranceMontreal, CanadaJapanSingapore Grand Prix Ella Eyre's fabulous new single, Mama is out now on Island Records. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram - I’m @hollyrubenstein - and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This is episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by Levison Wood, the British explorer, photographer, best selling author, and TV presenter.You probably know him from his incredible walking expeditions, which he’s documented on TV. He’s walked the length of the River Nile, through Central America from Mexico to Colombia, and the length of the Himalayas from Bhutan all the way to Afghanistan.We talk about the time he hitchhiked from Nottingham to India - and his adventures along the way; what it was like driving an ambulance from London to Malawi in Southern Africa through 27 countries, and about his most recent and maybe most ambitious expedition yet, which was a 5000 mile circumnavigation of the Arabian Peninsula from Iran to Lebanon. Destination recapGreeceMexicoLondon to Malawi driveColumbiaGrosny, Chechnya Southern YemenSouthern Dhoffar Mountains, OmanLebanonDamascus, SyriaSouth Africa Hitchhiking from Nottingham to India including Afghanistan GeorgiaByblos, LebanonIranCorfuNew ZealandVancouver IslandPapua New GuineaBiking through South AmericaIf you’d like to hear more from Levison, you can pick up a copy of his book, Arabia: A Journey Through the Heart of the Middle East. And he’s also written a gorgeous children’s book called Incredible Journeys, and that’s out now too.Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram - I’m @hollyrubenstein - and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This is episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Khoo is a cook, writer and TV presenter, who first rose to fame with her bestselling cookbook, The Little Paris Kitchen, a collection of recipes tested from her little Paris kitchen!The book was soon developed into her first TV series, and Rachel quickly became known by food lovers the world over, with several cookbooks and TV series that followed.Now, she lives in Stockholm with her Swedish husband and two children, and it’s this new beginning that’s served as the inspiration for her latest project, The Little Swedish Kitchen.Destination recap:Austrian borderLech, AustriaParis, FranceTokyo, JapanSydney, AustraliaLittle Brothers Bakery - Stockholm, SwedenStockholm, SwedenBrazilCornwall, EnglandYou can watch Rachel Khoo: My Swedish Kitchen on Thursdays at 9pm and 9.30pm on Food Network. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, I’m joined by Peter Grunert, the editor of Lonely Planet magazine. In fact, Peter is the editor of 13 different editions of the magazine around the world. And each is imbued with that spirit of adventure and a cultural understanding that makes it one of my favourite travel magazines - and as a result of our chat, I’ve added about 10 new destinations to my bucket list! We’ll be talking about so many incredible places from Bhutan and India, to Uruguay and Australia, and many more, which why is this my first long haul, bumper length episode. So, here is a real deep dive into the world of travel from one of its top experts. I hope you enjoy it. Destination recap:Gwyneth, WalesWest Wittering, West Sussex, EnglandBrittany, France Mumbai, India Cannareggio, Venice, Italy Port Lincoln, South Australia Coober Pedy, South Australia Park Hyatt, Tokyo, JapanMashpi Lodge, Ecuador Kerala, India BhutanBradford, Yorkshire, England Saltaire World Heritage Site, Bradford, EnglandTenerife, Canary Islands Los Angeles, California, USAEswatini (formerly, Swaziland)UruguayBorroloola, North AustraliaYou can find Lonely Planet Magazine in all good newsagents each month, and head over to their Instagram @lonelyplanetmag for all the travel inspo you could ever need. And follow Peter himself @petervg73 Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Style icon Lucy Williams is one of the UK’s most successful bloggers, with over 429,000 followers on Instagram. Starting her career as a fashion journalist for magazines like Stylist, In Style and Sheerluxe, her own blog Fashionmenow quickly amassed a huge following and became her full time job. On her blog, she documents her incredible travels, and some really useful guides. Lucy is now the face of many brands and a wildly successful jewellery designer with Missoma London. She’s visited some of the most beautiful places and hotels in the world, so if you’re after some travel inspo, this is the episode for you. Destination recap:Abersoch, Wales The Fife Arms, Braemar, ScotlandZanzibar, Tanzania UgandaThe east of South AfricaSasaab, Samburu, KenyaLos Angeles, California, USAIbizaGreek IslandsBeltane Ranch, Sonoma, California Anopura, Jaipur, India Golborne Road, LondonLisboa Pattiserie, London Golborne Deli, LondonPentolina, Brook Green, London Tokyo and Kyoto, JapanThe PhilippinesWestern Cape of South Africa and NamibiaNorth Island, Seychelles Visit Lucy’s blog, Fashionmenow for her travel guides and more, and follow her on Instagram, @LucyWilliams02Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m joined by a bit of a national treasure. He’s a chef, an author, a presenter - most notably of one of my childhood favourites - Ready Steady Cook. It’s Ainsley Harriott. Ainsley first trained as a chef in London, but it might surprise you that before becoming a TV star, he was part of pop duo The Calypso Twins, releasing a hit record in the nineties. He soon started presenting Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook and Ready Steady Cook, and spin-off shows around the world. His numerous cookbooks have sold over 2 million copies globally, and he continues to light up our TV screens today - this time with his new ITV series, Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen. Destination recap:Jamaica, CaribbeanKew Gardens, London, EnglandNiederau, AustriaInterrailing in Europe Buenos Aires, ArgentinaWimbledon Common, London, England Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon, EnglandDominica, CaribbeanAinsley’s Caribbean Kitchen, Delicious Feelgood Cooking from the Sunshine Islands is out now. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven’t yet left a 5 star rating, why not do so now! Your support is so greatly appreciated and most importantly, helps others to discover the podcast. Come and find me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and to find out more about the podcast, visit TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com This episode was produced by Holly Rubenstein. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.