PATHWAYS: Ancient Kingdoms, Badlands and the Everest of Cage Dives

At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, and two people telling travel tales down the pub, our Pathways episodes are your guide to choosing your adventures with us.December episodes:ADVENTURE: Whale WarriorsWe join best-selling author and activist Peter Heller on board an eco-pirate ship as they battle illegal Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.IMMERSION: Ancient KingdomsWe cross the Arabian desert to the city of Tayma, take part in the Ancient Kingdoms Festival, and explore one of the largest oases in the world. BUCKET LIST: The Everest of Cage DivesIn the Neptune Islands of Australia, home to the most Great White Sharks on the planet, there is a cage dive that drops you all the way to the ocean floor. And it was set up by the guy who survived the shark attack that inspired the movie, Jaws.IMMERSION: Welcome to the BadlandsJoin best-selling travel author Brian Thacker on a journey deep into the Badlands of South Dakota. We find ancient fossils on hiking trails, become an unwelcome visitor in a prairie town, and go horseback riding through an endless sea of grass, straight out of a western movie.WANDERLUST: The Curiosities of Christmas Island.We sit down with travel journalist Martin Symington to hear about his journey to one of the most remote places on Earth. No, Santa doesn’t live there. Yes, David Attenborough thinks it’s awesome.BUCKET LIST: 100-mile Pub Crawl Host Aaron Millar takes us on a 100-mile pub crawl along the South Downs Way, a long-distance footpath that crosses the South Downs National Park in England. IMMERSION: Wellness in the DesertWe’re back with Brian Thacker in search of some New Year’s nature-inspired wellness: healing waters, indigenous bird song and Joshua Tree National Park at night.***If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed. Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcastInstagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap. Mentioned in this episode:Check out the Smart Travel PodcastThis week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:Smart Travel PodcastCheck out all of our other travel podcasts from around the worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com. For advertising or sponsorship opportunities across the network, see the link below.Voyascape Podcast Network