Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast

The Amateur Traveler talks to Christine who comes to tell us that Wisconsin has more to offer than just visiting my relatives. She starts us on a tour of the state from the college town and capital of Madison with its street fairs, concerts and capital building. We hear about the influence of Wisconsin born architect Frank Lloyd Wright who founded his school of architecture at nearby Taliesin. We enjoy the bike paths, breweries, badgers football and burial mounds. The we move on to Milwaukee with its neighborhoods, breweries and of course baseball. We stop in Kohler and then head up Wisconsin’s “thumb” to Door county. After visiting Green Bay and the home of the Packers we head up to the north woods with its many small lakes and Lake Superior with its one very big one. We wrap up by winding down the Mississippi river. Think there is nothing to see in Wisconsin? Think again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Sam Oppenheim (who has previously been on the show talking about trekking in the Himalayas and traveling to Cuba) about travel to Laos. Sam Visited Laos as part of a year spent traveling around the world when he traveled extensively in Asia. Sam’s itinerary included the capital of Vientiane as well as Luang Prabang, trekking in the hill villages around Luang namtha and cruising on the Mekong River near Nong Khiaw. Along the way Sam photographed monks, children and little bottles of alcohol with snakes in them. Discover this beautiful country through Sam’s stories and through his lens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Sarah from Whitehorse in the Yukon about that corner of Canada with long winters but dramatic scenery. She tells of of Winter festivals like the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous as well as Summer festivals like Dawson City Music fest, Atlin Arts and Music Fest and the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival. We talk about sporting events like the 24 Hours of Light and Kluane to Chilkat (Haines to Haines) bike races because Sarah says you have to like the outdoors to come to the Yukon. Sarah also gives us some itineraries for road warriors like the Top of the World Highway to Dawson (and the Dempster Highway for the bold among you) and the Golden Circle route into Alaska. We walk the Chilkoot Trail but without the requirement to bring 1,000 pounds of supplies like in the Yukon gold rush. It is the beauty of Kluane National Park that you will remember but strangely enough it was something else that Sarah was looking at when she decided to move to the Yukon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Madeline Jhawar from the Italy Beyond the Obvious blog about Sicily. Madeline was a tour guide for a number of years in Italy and says that Sicily is where the tour guides vacation. This beautiful island is more intense than the rest of Italy but it is also rich in culture and history. It is sometimes an assault on the sense says Madeline who honeymooned on the island. Madeline leads us in a trip circumnavigating the island from Messina to Palermo with stops in Taormina , Siracuse, Agrigento, Villa del Casale, Erice and Palermo. We take a side trip to climb the volcano at Stromboli and we touch on the many influences on the history of Sicily.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Lisa who has lived as student in Uruguay on two different occasions about that small South American country. Lisa talks about the capital city of Montevideo where she lived with independence plaza (and its statue to Jose Artigas), the markets, and the ramblas. She also talks about the food including the beef, chivito, mate, uruguay pizza, bizcocho, dulce de leche, and the local wine. Mostly she encourages us to visit Uruguay, meet the people and get out to the country side in Tacuarembo, Mercesdes, Colonia or Punta del Este. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Nick from Iowa about his stay on the remote tropical island of Niue in the South Pacific. Niue is a coral atoll which is affiliated with New Zealand. This country has only 100 square miles and around 1500 people so this is a place to get away from it all and explore some of the striking scenery such as the coral formations of Togo Chasm, Vaikona Chasm and the Limu pools. Nick stayed in Alofi at Kololi’s Guesthouse and explored the island on motorcycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Lisa Lubin of LLWorldTour about her round the world trip which extended from a year to a two and a half year odyssey and a nomadic lifestyle. Lisa talks about her trip but also talks about the various jobs she worked along the way. Why would an Emmy winning TV producer want to work in a coffee shop in Australia, teach English in Germany, become a research assistant in Germany and do PR for a company in Spain?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Lee from Atlanta who is currently living in Qing Dao, China about traveling independently in Beijing, China. Lee describes getting around by bus, subway and taxi, eating street food, and biking through the Hutongs of Beijing. He guides us to lesser known sites like Beijing’s underground city and the site of the old Summer Palace. He leads us to the great wall at Badaling, Mutianyu, and Simatai. Lee also talks about side trips to see the Buddhas in the Yungang Caves near Datong and the nearby hanging monasteries and to see the Qing royal villas and replica of the Lhasa temple in Chungde. We talk about where to find a guide (and why you may not need one), Chinese history and what Lee suggested his parents should bring to China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks to Carole Terwilliger Meyers the author of Weekend Adventures in San Francisco and Northern California. Carole comes on the show to talk about California’s traditional wine country of Napa and Sonoma Valleys. This episode focuses primarily on the Napa Valley and the many wineries that can be found there. We explore recreated castles, wine tasting , tours as well as other none wine related sites like mud baths, petrified forests, and the CIA (The Culinary Institute). We talk about restaurants and hotels, picnics and the wine train. Whether you are a connoisseur, a foodie or just a tourist, the Napa Valley has much to offer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amateur Traveler talks again to Douglas Duckett the author of a popular free travel guide to Israel. This time we talked to Douglass about traveling to the holy city, Jerusalem. We step back and look at Jerusalem through the eyes of the three major faiths for which it is a significant location: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. We look at significant sites for all three religions such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Al-Aqsa Mosque mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall. We talk about surprises that are continually being uncovered in Jerusalem like Hezikaih’s tunnel, Robinson’s Arch and Burnt House. And in the process we talk about the practical considerations for visiting this amazing city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices