Excess Baggage

The actress Imogen Stubbs talks to John McCarthy about why she is drawn to the Alaskan wilderness. Her experiences there with the vast distances, the extreme weather and the danger from encounters with bears contrast strongly with the relatively safe indoor life of theatre and television.John also meets Abraham Banda, who leads walking safaris in Zambia where you can encounter danger from many animals from lions to crocodiles, and learns why the role of the guide is getting more and more professional.And reporter and keen cyclist Stephen Mulvey tells John about a new bike trail from London to Paris which is mostly off-road and should prove very popular with the increasing numbers of cyclists making the journey for charity.Producer Harry Parker.

John McCarthy meets Dani Maimone who was Africa's only female hot-air balloon pilot flying over the Masai Mara giving her passengers a fantastic view of the wildlife below. She tells John of the pleasures and perils of balloon safaris. Kathy Wilden runs an organisation placing holiday volunteers with animal conservation scientific projects and Dr George McGavin is an entomologist and explorer who recently featured in the TV programme the Lost Land of the Tiger. They discuss with John the pros and cons of wildlife travel and tourism and its role in protecting animals.Producer: Harry Parker.

Sandi Toksvig meets two people who travelled to research their family histories. Television executive Martin Davidson knew his German grandfather must have fought in the Second World War but was shocked when he discovered him to have been a member of the SS. He went to Berlin, Prague and Prussia to try and understand what had driven him to become such an enthusiastic and unrepentant Nazi. Sports presenter Rob Curling's father was also a soldier but served with the Gurkhas during the emergency in Malaya in the fifties. He was drawn to travel to modern day Malaysia to discover more about that period of his parents' life and the country where he himself was born.Sandi also talks to theologian and 'freelance missionary' Margaret Hebblethwaite about why she started a hotel in southern Paraguay and how she came to write the first and only English guide book dedicated to this little known country.Producer: Harry Parker.

Sandi Toksvig uncovers some interesting English places of worship to visit, finds out why a retreat can be an excellent break and explores some of the locations painted by Sir Winston Churchill in the company of his granddaughter, Celia Sandys.Producer. Chris Wilson.

In a captivating discussion, Dom Joly, a comedian and travel documentarian, shares his adventures in the world of dark tourism, revealing the unique allure of unconventional destinations like war-torn Lebanon and North Korea. He contrasts the cheerful facade of Florida with its underlying complexities, touching on economic struggles and natural disasters. Joly's humorous anecdotes highlight the duality of places we visit, stressing that travel is not just about leisure, but understanding deeper cultural narratives and histories.