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Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly
by Afar
Unpacked by Afar is your weekly guide to where to go, how to travel, and everything worth unpacking in between. Each week, host Aislyn Greene and the Afar team travel the world and dig into the big questions behind every great trip, from the best new hotels and national parks to traveling more responsibly. Some weeks we follow a story through music, food, and culture. Others we tackle a tricky topic, share our favorite destinations, or help you plan where to go next. Because the travel world is complicated. We're here to help you unpack it.
Episodes
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A Marine Biologist, a Kuku Yalanji Guide, and the Real Story Behind Two UNESCO Sites in North Queensland
In a new ongoing series, Afar is asking a deceptively simple question: What does a UNESCO World Heritage designation actually do? This episode starts in North Queensland, Australia, home to two UNESCO sites that sit side by side: the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics, which includes the...
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Dubai Hospitality and the Making of a World-Class Hotel Scene
Welcome to episode two of a four-part Unpacked series on Dubai travel, this time focused on Dubai hospitality: how a city with more than 800 hotels and 150,000 rooms built a world-class hotel scene on one of the Arabian Peninsula’s oldest traditions: the welcome. Guest host Nicola Chilton starts…
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Dubai Travel Tips From a Longtime Resident and a Native Emirati Chef
Welcome to episode one of a four-part Unpacked series on Dubai travel: the history, the ambition, and the glamorous, multicultural city it's become today. In this episode, host Aislyn Greene and the Dubai-based travel writer Nicola Chilton set the stage: They walk through how a fishing village…
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The Australia Spa Road Trip That Won Over a Wellness Skeptic
Afar contributing writer Emma John road-trips the Great Victorian Bathing Trail, uncovering the best spa towns in Victoria, Australia—from thermal springs on the coast to century-old bathhouses inland. A traditional spa vacation was never Emma John's thing—she needs to be on the move to relax. So...
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How to See Thailand’s Wonders Without Feeling Like a Tourist
Travel journalist Kathryn Romeyn shares how to find Thailand off the beaten path—from Nan Province night markets to Khao Sok's rainforest—plus the best time to visit Thailand if you want fewer crowds and lower prices. This week on Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene explores Thailand off the beaten path...
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Sana Javeri Kadri's Regenerative Spice Farming Revolution
The spices in your cabinet are probably five to seven years old—and that's not an accident. On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene sits down with Sana Javeri Kadri, founder of Diaspora Spice Co., who spent nine years dismantling a 500-year-old system and replacing it with something...
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For a Crowd-Free African Safari, Head for Tanzania's Southern Circuit
An African safari doesn't have to mean a traffic jam. On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene travels to Tanzania's southern circuit—visiting two parks most first-time safari-ers never consider—and discovers what happens when you trade the famous Great Migration crossing for a dry…
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What We Lose When a Language Dies
By the end of this century, half of the world's 7,000 languages could be gone. On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene hands the mic to travel writer Lucy Kehoe for a conversation about saving language with journalist Sophia Smith Galer, author of the new book How to Kill a Language. For...
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Five Questions for the Man Who Walked a Fault Line in Japan by Feel
This kind of Japan travel doesn't show up in guidebooks. In January 2024, a major earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula, lifting the seabed 15 feet into the air and exposing an ocean floor that locals walked across—harvesting octopus and abalone—to get home. This week on Unpacked, Five Questions,...
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Why Women's Travel Writing Matters More Than Ever
For the past several decades, writer and editor Lavinia Spalding has championed women's travel writing. She's helmed seven editions of the Best Women's Travel Writing—the celebrated Traveler's Tales anthology—including the latest, released on June 9th. Over the years, she's read hundreds of...
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This Is One of the Best Architecture Cities in America
Buffalo, New York might be the greatest architecture city you've never heard of. In the fourth and final episode of our Unpacked by Afar series, we explore how this Rust Belt city became one of the richest showcases of American architecture anywhere in the country. Host Aislyn Greene tours…
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Hallowed Ground: The Street at the Heart of Buffalo's Black History
For 185 years, some of the most important chapters of American history have unfolded on a few blocks of Buffalo's East Side. In the third episode of our four-part Unpacked by Afar series, we walk the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, the beating heart of Buffalo Black history,...
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Asheville Hiking, Waterfalls, and the Oldest Mountains on Earth | The Travel Guide
This is the final stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina, and we’re heading for the trees. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Greene laces up for Asheville hiking, and discovers why the oldest mountains on Earth are also some of the most beloved. On a tour…
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Asheville Food and the Growth of a Farm-to-Table Town | The Travel Guide
This is the fourth stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina, and it may be the tastiest one yet. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Greene digs into Asheville food, and the surprising reason this mountain city punches so far above its weight at the table.…
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Black Mountain and the Region's Creative Soul | The Travel Guide
This is the third stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina, and it takes us just outside the city to the small mountain town of Black Mountain, North Carolina. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Greene goes looking for the creative soul of the region, and finds...
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Asheville Wellness and 150 Years of the Mountain Cure | The Travel Guide
This is the second stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina, and it reaches back a lot further than you might expect. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Greene unpacks the long, strange story of Asheville wellness, and why doctors have been sending patients to...
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Asheville History and the Making of a Mountain City | The Travel Guide
Welcome to the first stop on our five-part audio guide to Asheville, North Carolina. And where better to start than at the beginning? In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Greene sets out on foot to trace Asheville history from the ground up, and to answer a simple question: How did a...
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The City of Good Neighbors: A Buffalo Travel Story of Arrival and Belonging
Buffalo, New York has called itself the City of Good Neighbors since 1940, and in 2023 Reader's Digest even voted it the nicest city in America. But is it true? In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Greene turns a Buffalo travel story into a bigger question: what does it actually take…
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Beyond the Wing: How Buffalo's Food Scene Quietly Became One of America's Best
Everybody knows Buffalo, New York, for the chicken wing. Fewer people know the real story behind the wing—or the full story of Buffalo's food scene, which is grounded in tradition and full of innovation. In the first episode of our four-part Unpacked by Afar series on Buffalo, we start where you...
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Following the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail—and the Story It Left Out
Welcome to Unpacked Five Questions, a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of one great travel story. In this episode, executive editor Katherine LaGrave sits down with writer Latria Graham, Afar's Unpacked columnist. Latria spent seven weeks driving the nearly 5,000-mile Lewis and Clark...
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Queer Travel Is About Joy, Not Just Safety
LGBTQ+ Americans are more than twice as likely as the general population to hold a valid passport. That stat sits at the heart of (Out )on the Road: The Radical Joy of Queer Travel, a new book from writer Lindsey Danis that's part memoir, part guide. Most conversations about queer travel start…
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Travel to Listen: Everyone Knows Motown. Not Everyone Knows Its Story
Welcome to Travel to Listen, a new Unpacked series hosted by veteran music journalist Tim Chester. Over four episodes, Tim took us into the cities where music is more than entertainment—it's the shortcut to a place's soul. In this season finale, he heads to Detroit to explore the legendary Motown...
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Feel-Good Friday: The Viral World Cup Food Obsession and a Very American Bourbon
It’s the last Feel-Good Friday before host Aislyn and producer Nikki take a summer break. And they’re sending the season off with two of summer’s great pleasures: a viral World Cup food obsession and a very American bourbon. First, why international soccer fans are falling hard for ranch...
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Why a Michigan Road Trip Might Be the Best Way to Build a Friendship
On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland hit the road in Michigan and find epic adventures, gorgeous waterways—and a new way to connect. Join them as they follow Michigan's mitten counterclockwise, exploring the state's many waterways. They paddle the Au Sable...
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Feel-Good Friday: An Ode to Obama, New London Museums, and a Hopeful Ocean Story
It’s Feel-Good Friday, and Unpacked host Aislyn and producer Nikki are joined by a guest they’ve been waiting weeks to record with: Afar senior editor Lucy Kehoe, who also edits our UK sister title, Suitcase. Three stories, all good news, landing fittingly on Juneteenth. This week’s stories: A...
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Why the Best New Hotels of 2026 Aren’t All "New"
What makes a hotel the best? Not just new, not just beautiful, but worthy of a list that thousands of travelers plan their year around? For Afar senior deputy editor Jennifer Flowers, it comes down to a single test: does this hotel have a story? Not a marketing story—a real one, rooted in the…
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Travel to Listen: The Spacey, Sunbaked Rock of California's Mojave Desert
Welcome to "Travel to Listen," a new Unpacked series hosted by veteran music journalist Tim Chester. Over four episodes rolling out every other week, Tim takes us into the cities where music is more than entertainment—it’s the shortcut to a place’s soul. This week, he heads into the high desert…
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Feel-Good Friday: Australia’s Plastic Win, a Different Kind of Summit Story, and the Women Changing Safari
It’s Feel-Good Friday, when your Unpacked host (Aislyn) and producer (Nikki) get together to swap the stories making them feel good this week. And this week they're joined by Afar's director of photography, Michelle Heimerman. They share three stories that are making them feel optimistic this…
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What a Safari Looks Like When a Woman Is at the Wheel
What does a safari look like when the guide isn't a man? Award-winning writer and editor Ellen Carpenter went to Botswana's Okavango Delta to find out. (To learn more, read her Afar story about the experience.) Meet this week's guests Ellen Carpenter is a New York–based culture and travel...
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Feel-Good Friday: A Queer Dance Revolution, Dog-Friendly Hotels, and What Actually Makes You Happy
Welcome back to Feel-Good Fridays. This week, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are joined by Afar executive editor Kathrine LaGrave—and the three of them are ready to carry you into the weekend a little lighter, with stories about line dancing, travel with your dog, and the...
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What My 96-Year-Old Grandmother Taught Me About Travel
What would happen if you called your grandmother out of the blue and asked her to go camping that night? For Brad Ryan, that impulsive phone call sparked a seven-year journey across all 63 U.S. national parks. Along the way, he and Grandma Joy, now 96, healed old wounds, faced down lifelong…
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Travel to Listen: The City That Made Prince
Welcome to "Travel to Listen," a new Unpacked series hosted by veteran music journalist Tim Chester. Over four episodes rolling out every other week, Tim takes us into the cities where music is more than entertainment—it's the shortcut to a place's soul. This week, he heads to Minneapolis to hear...
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Feel-Good Friday: A Road Trip, a Public Health Win, and the Great Millennial Song Debate
Welcome back to Feel-Good Fridays. This week, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are bringing you a special road trip edition — recorded live from the car somewhere in the forests of Michigan, microphones balanced on laps and sunscreen close at hand. It’s a two-story episode today…
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Feel-Good Friday: A Hidden India, a Celebrity Elephant, and the Future of California Wine
Welcome back to Feel-Good Friday. Every Friday through the end of June, Unpacked is popping into your feed with a brand-new series designed to carry you into the weekend a little lighter. Each episode, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are joined by a different Afar staffer to share...
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Travel to Listen: Why This Southern City Is America's Most Underrated Music Town
Welcome to Travel to Listen, a new Unpacked series hosted by veteran music journalist Tim Chester. Over four episodes rolling out every other week, Tim takes us into the cities where music is more than entertainment—it’s the shortcut to a place’s soul. This week, he goes to the source in Macon:...
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Feel-Good Friday: Pottery, a History-Making Pilot, and a Salmon Race Worth Following
Welcome back to Feel-Good Fridays! Every Friday through the end of June, Unpacked is popping into your feed with a brand-new series designed to carry you into the weekend a little lighter. In each episode, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are joined by a different Afar staffer to...
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Towing With an EV: What Hundreds of Miles Down the Oregon Coast Taught Us
In last week's episode, host Aislyn Greene shared the story of towing a 20-foot Airstream down the Oregon coast in an all-electric Rivian truck — the campsite mishaps, the strangers who became friends, the joy of slow travel. This week, she's back with the practical guide: how an EV road trip...
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Feel-Good Fridays: A New Series for Brighter Weekends
Welcome to Feel-Good Fridays. Every Friday from now through the end of June, Unpacked is popping into your feed with a brand-new series designed to carry you into the weekend a little lighter. Each episode, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are joined by a different Afar staffer to...
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We Towed an Airstream Down the Oregon Coast Using an Electric Truck. Here's What Happened.
What happens when the person who knows how to tow has to leave — and you're left with a 5,000-pound Airstream, an electric truck, and 800 miles of Oregon coast ahead of you? On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene shares the story of the eight-day road trip she and her wife Jeannie took...
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Unpacked, Five Questions: Why This Photographer Spent Four Weeks in the Egyptian Desert
Welcome to Unpacked, Five Questions, a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of one great travel story. In this episode, host and executive editor Katherine LaGrave sits down with documentary photographer Nathalie Mohadjer, whose images of the desert oasis of Siwa appear in Afar's winter 2026...
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Forget the Algorithm. Here's How to Actually Eat Well When You Travel.
Jennifer Hope Choi plans every trip the same way: open a Google doc, start with food, and build outward from there. As a former Bon Appétit editor, 13-year restaurant industry veteran, and author of a travel memoir, she has strong opinions about Michelin guides (skip ‘em), low-rated restaurants...
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The Joyful Instrument That Became the Sound of Hawai'i
It started as an abandoned ukulele on a wall. Afar’s Aislyn Greene hadn’t touched it in two years — but that idle instrument sent her down a rabbit hole into one of the most joyful origin stories in music. The ukulele arrived in Hawai'i on a Portuguese immigrant ship in 1878, got a royal...
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How Two Years of Phone-Free Travel Rewired the Way I See the World
What if the secret to a great trip was leaving your phone in airplane mode — forever? Journalist Lisa Abend has been doing exactly that, arriving in cities she's never researched, GPS turned off, without a hotel reservation or itinerary of any kind. The result isn't chaos; it's the kind of travel...
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In the Age of AI, This Is What Only a Travel Advisor Can Do
You've got more booking tools than ever — so why would you hire a travel advisor? In this episode, Afar editorial director Billie Cohen sits down with travel journalist and matchmaker Wendy Perrin, founder of wendyperrin.com, to answer the questions travelers actually have: What can an advisor do...
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An Architect's California: From LA's Secret Garden to the Magic of Joshua Tree
This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has been shaping the way…
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The Naturalist Who's Been Decoding—and Painting—California's Wild Spaces for 30 Years
This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest is one of its most original voices....
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He's Been Designing California's Outdoors for Decades. Here's What He's Learned.
This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has literally shaped the ground...
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Drama, Geopolitics, and Glory: Inside the World Cup
Show Notes The World Cup is more than a soccer tournament — it's a mirror for geopolitics, national identity, and the power of global fandom. In this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene sits down with British journalist Jonathan Wilson, author of The Power and the Glory: The History of the...
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This Theater Was a Refuge for Queer Americans. Now It's Been Reborn.
She’s 104 years old, newly renovated, and she’s ready for her close-up. On this episode of Unpacked: America 250, host Aislyn Greene talks about the newly renovated Castro Theatre in San Francisco, a $41 million transformation of one of America’s most beloved LGBTQ+ landmarks. Aislyn sits down...
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The Hidden History of the World's Most Powerful Travel Document
Before you board an international flight, before you cross a border, you need a passport. But how much do you really know about the little book that controls where you can and cannot go in this world? On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene sits down with Patrick Bixby, an English…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Unpacked by Afar is your weekly guide to where to go, how to travel, and everything worth unpacking in between. Each week, host Aislyn Greene and the Afar team travel the world and dig into the big questions behind every great trip, from the best new hotels and national parks to traveling more responsibly. Some weeks we follow a story through music, food, and culture. Others we tackle a tricky topic, share our favorite destinations, or help you plan where to go next. Because the travel world is complicated. We're here to help you unpack it.
HOSTED BY
Afar
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly have?
Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly currently has 201 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly about?
Unpacked by Afar is your weekly guide to where to go, how to travel, and everything worth unpacking in between. Each week, host Aislyn Greene and the Afar team travel the world and dig into the big questions behind every great trip, from the best new hotels and national parks to traveling more...
How often does Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly release new episodes?
Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly publishes regularly with 201 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly?
You can listen to Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly?
Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly is created and hosted by Afar.
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