Mary Jo Manzanares is a lifelong resident of Washington State and has spent decades exploring its highways and byways. She spent 32 years as a flight attendant, eagerly sharing tips and recommendations about Seattle to inquiring passengers. Mary Jo is a frequent speaker at travel industry events, a member of the Society of American Travel Writers, and writes about her beloved Washington State at www.discoveringwashingtonstate.com and about her general travels at www.travelingwithmj.com. She is the author of the new book author of Secret Seattle: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

This Week in Travel

Mary Jo Manzanares - Travel to Seattle

Hjörtur Smárason is the CEO of Visit Greenland. He is a contributor to the new book, Aftershocks and Opportunities 2: Navigating the Next Horizon.   Hjörtur Smárason talks about how Greenland tourism was affected by Covid. No tourism for a year and a half. No cruise ships have been allowed in the country, and that eliminated half the tourism. They will be allowed to resume next year. He continues to tell us about the expected infrastructure growth over the coming 3-4 years and destination differences between North Greenland and South Greenland. Next, we talked about the future of tourism post-Covid and sustainability. He sees an increased demand for rural travel and experiencing peacefulness. We got off on an enthusiastic tangent about the intersection of new tech and travel and the quality of the tourist vs. the number of tourists. Greenland is for adventure travelers. Some of the activities are seeing the "Titanic killers" - sizable icebergs, dogsledding, photo tours, hiking, cross country skiing, standing on the snow that touches the North Pole, seeing the Milky Way, Northern Lights. We conclude with a peek into the future of travel and the fascinating chapters of his new thought-provoking book available on Amazon.   Travel tips of the week: Gary – USB-C charger  Jen – "Hey, Disney" with Walt Disney World voice assistant on the Amazon Echo   Hjörtur – Dogsledding in Greenland with the locals, Inuit hunter. Enjoy the Northern Lights above you.  

Hjörtur Smárason - Greenland and the Future

SPECIAL GUESTS: Chantal and Chloe Patton  We are a Canadian family of 5 who travels the world, visiting 100 countries since 2013. We're documenting our travels to share with everyone on our Youtube channel called Growing Up Without Borders and would love to share our story about our journey, how we're managing to find places to stay, and all the fun experiences we've had. At the moment, we've been in New Zealand since Covid, which has allowed us to fully discover each area of their country.

Chantal Patton - Growing Up Without Borders

Mary Forgione covers outdoors and travel for the Los Angeles Times. She's also editor of The Wild, a newsletter that covers essential outdoor content for Southern Californians. She loves running, hiking, camping and backpacking, and doing anything outdoors -- and always looks for new ways to experience destinations in California and beyond. Mary also is a trained volunteer Sierra Club outings leader who leads free hikes open to all. She hikes to the top of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous U.S., every year. She recently spearheaded the L.A. Times 24-page Hiking Guide, with 50 of the best SoCal hikes. latimes.com/hiking.   Sign up for THE WILD: https://www.latimes.com/newsletters/the-wild   Destination Tips:  Gary – Castle Mountains National Monument Jen – Walla Walla Hiking in Oregon, https://www.wallawalla.org/hiking/  Mary – Amboy Crater Hike, late fall or winter in Mojave     Travel tips of the week: Gary – The Brave Browser for blocking ads, third-party cookies. It brings in your history and extensions from Chrome. More secure and less server issues.  Jen – ENO hammock at REI https://www.rei.com/product/875843/eno-pacific-crest-trail-association-doublenest-hammock Mary – Two apps that people should download - All Trails and Gaia GPS. https://www.alltrails.com/

Mary Forgione - Outdoors in Southern California

John Argento is an avid traveler who has been exploring the world for the last 35 years. Originally from Canada, John has traveled to nearly 90 countries to date, visited hundreds of cities, towns, and villages around the globe, and currently resides in Amsterdam. He has previously lived in New York, London, Paris, Milan, Montreal & Lausanne and was the host & producer of the short-lived podcast, The Travel Broadcast. He is now developing a travel concierge business, offering customized tours to European destinations.    John talks about a five-week RV trip through Europe during the pandemic. He raves about Spain. Salamanca. Malaga. San Sebastián. Some of the apps he used on his trip were ReopenEU and Camper Contact.    Destination Tips:  Gary – Drive over the Viaduc in France Jen – Cadaqués in the Girona, Spain. Costa Brava.   Steven - South of France - Cassis, a small fishing village west of St. Tropez   Travel tips of the week:   Gary – Tip podcasters in Bitcoin - The Breeze app, Sphinx chat Jen – A country-by-country guide to travel restrictions for Americans in Europe   John – Book - Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves   CLAIM=3c4c94446fd430b4195825f491166d6318531484=CLAIM

John Argento - RVing in Europe

Steven is the Host of "The One Way Ticket Show" podcast, where he explores with his acclaimed guests where they would go if given a one-way ticket, no coming back. Their destinations may be in the past, present, future, real, imaginary, or state of mind. He also chats with his guests about their lives and work. Steven is also the Host of the "IsraelCast" podcast. He speaks with experts about their work in Israel in high tech, medicine, agriculture, water management, the culinary & visual arts, and more.   Born and raised in Chicago, Steven worked for Young & Rubicam Advertising in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and New York City.   While producing and hosting a radio show in Singapore, he conceived the idea for "The One Way Ticket Show," which he launched as a podcast after moving to New York.    An exhibited photographer with a penchant for travel to rogue nations, Steven's adventures have taken him to nearly 70 countries, including North Korea, Libya, Iran, Burundi, Sudan, Syria, Burkina Faso, and Saudi Arabia.   Steven earned his B.A. (Honors) in Chinese Language & Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and his M.A. in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C.  

Steven Shalowitz - Traveling to China and Israel

Dave Seminara is a writer and former diplomat based in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the author of four books. Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth (June 1, 2021) is a deep exploration of wanderlust, focused around the true story of William Baekeland, a young Brit who conned many of the world’s most traveled people as they sought to reach the planet’s most remote and off-limits places.

Dave Seminara - The World's Most Extreme Travelers

Fran Golden is an award-winning travel writer whose work regularly appears in Bloomberg, Travel + Leisure magazine, and other leading media outlets. She is the author of numerous cruise and travel books, including “100 Things To Do In Alaska Before You Die” (Reedy Press, 2021). The Alaska book is available at leading booksellers, or order an autographed copy at 100ThingsAlaska.com

Fran Golden - 100 Things to Do in Alaska

This week's guest is Maureen O'Hare. She is is a Northern Irish senior digital producer for CNN Travel, based at the London bureau. She's written about news, travel, lifestyle, and entertainment for some of the world's leading media organizations.     DESTINATION TIPS   Gary: National Parks see record levels of travel. One of my favorite and often overlooked is Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Western North Dakota. You can see Bison, wild horses, mule deer.   Jen:  The Sky Pool in London. 115 in the air. https://www.travelandleisure.com/culture-design/architecture-design/embassy-gardens-sky-pool-london#:~:text=A%20new%20see%2Dthrough%20pool,use%20community%20from%20EcoWorld%20    Dominical, Costa Rica. Jungle meets the beach with wifi, surf lessons, craft beer, activities, etc.   Maureen: Destinations that have working visas. One that appeals to me is Georgia, between the Black Sea and the Caucasus. 'Remotely from Georgia' opportunity. Open to foreigners from 95 countries. You can live and work there without a visa if they stay for at least 180 days. https://georgia.travel/en_US/article/remotely-from-georgia    Travel tips of the week: Gary – Apple AirPods Pro. Noise-canceling and also transparent mode. You can wear them in the car and hear background noise. Great safety feature. Excellent battery life. I always travel with my AirPods, and this is the new thing to be in my pocket.    Jen – RemoteYear.com ‍An end-to-end platform for individuals and businesses to live, work and travel together in the most inspiring locations on the planet. "KEEP YOUR JOB. SEE THE WORLD. LEAVE THE PLANNING TO US."   Maureen - Crowdfunding campaign for CityMapper app. Great for getting around London. Door-to-door journeys around the city. https://citymapper.com/  

Maureen O'Hare - CNN Travel Writer

SPECIAL GUEST: Madeline Jhawar   Madeline Jhawar is an Italy destination expert with a vision. 11 years ago, she set up an online business creating custom Italy vacations for independent travelers that broke all the rules and charged fees instead of commissions. This allowed her to create truly customized trips without worrying about whether the bucket-list destinations she chose also had a commission schedule. Her business has grown significantly since she started, to the point where she hired her first assistant in 2014 and two more in 2018. Her goal is to make graduates of TBO's courses even more successful than she has been. https://www.travelbeyondtheobvious.com/

Madeline Jhawar - Post Pandemic Travel to South Africa

Leslie Harvey is a family travel blogger and freelance travel writer. Her blog, Trips With Tykes, chronicles the joys and challenges of travel with young kids. Her travel passions include all things planes and air travel, Disney destinations, skiing, and national parks. Leslie co-hosts two Disney travel podcasts - Disney Deciphered and the Disneyland with Kids podcast. She also co-owns the 23,000 member Disneyland with Kids Facebook group. Leslie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, their 12-year-old daughter, and their 7-year-old son.  https://tripswithtykes.com/       Leslie talks about Disneyland reopening, what guests can expect and gives us insider tips for making your first trip back to the Happiest Place on Earth as smooth as possible.  DESTINATION TIPS   Gary: Carousel of Progress at Disney World.  https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/walt-disney-carousel-of-progress/   Leslie: Silhouette Studio  https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/11/the-shops-of-main-street-u-s-a-silhouette-studio-2/ https://disneyland.disney.go.com/shops/disneyland/silhouette-studio/   Jen: Mad Hatter in Fantasyland https://disneyland.disney.go.com/shops/disneyland/mad-hatter-shop-fantasyland/   Leslie’s Disneyland related podcasts and resources: Disney Deciphered Podcast. Co-host Joe Cheung @asthejoeflies does Disney Vacation Planning.  Podcast and Facebook Group: Disneyland with Kids   Travel tips of the week:   Gary – Backstage tour. How they make it work.    Jen –  https://www.showcasetheworld.com/    Leslie:  Hotel landscape has changed. JW Marriott. Raddison Blu. Do a broader search for new local hotels around Disneyland with deals.    Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com and Everything Everywhere Daily https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Leslie:  @tripswithtykes https://tripswithtykes.com/

Leslie Harvey - Reopening Disneyland

SPECIAL GUEST: Chris Christensen   Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler which is an award winning online travel podcast / blog that focuses primarily on travel destinations. He is also a co-host emeritus for This Week in Travel. https://amateurtraveler.com/     Chris talks about his recent trip to the Galapagos Islands with Quasar Expeditions. https://www.quasarex.com/   See Chris and Gary’s photos of the Galapagos!   Photos on Amateur Traveler https://travelphotos.amateurtraveler.com/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/   Photos on Everything Everywhere https://travelphotos.everything-everywhere.com/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos-Islands-2015/    DESTINATION TIPS   Gary: If you’re flying into Quito, move on quickly to Guayaquil on the coast or plan for some extra time there in Quito. It’s 9000 feet so you’ll want to acclimate.   Gary: Galapagos islands of North America Haida Gwaii an archipelago off British Columbia’s west coast, in Canada. Where the Alaskan panhandle ends. You’ll see the other type of sea lions up there. Very few people know about it or visit the UNESCO world heritage site on the island. SG̱ang Gwaay Llanagaay. The last place on earth where you can see original totem poles.     Chris: Paso Robles, CA. The region has matured in my lifetime. 300 different wineries and a distillery trail. The Light Show - Sensorio. They have a field of lights that are driven by solar power. See Chris’s California blog to see pics of it. https://sensoriopaso.com/ https://travelphotos.amateurtraveler.com/USA/California/Paso-Robles/i-kkGJNXt    Jen: Sonora, CA. Columbia, Little Roots, Jamestown.   Starlink update:  up to 1500 satellites. Just partnered with Google. Expanding ground stations at the Google Data Centers. Australia, NZ, many countries in Europe. Third generation satellite launching soon. It will make it possible to use Starlink on ships. https://www.starlink.com/    Travel tips of the week:   Gary –  Project Gutenberg is a collection of public domain books. Free. But my tip is the new site https://standardebooks.org/. They take the PG titles and they format them so it’s properly formatted with cover art and colorized images. A proper ebook that you’d buy from Amazon but it’s totally free. Hundreds of titles of classic books.     Jen – https://rooftopcinemaclub.com/ Locations: Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Tampa, San Diego, New York, London.   Chris: Black rapid wonder bundle. It has a tab on the back of your  iPhone and a loop through the charging port where you can attach a strap.  https://www.blackrapid.com/wander-bundle/s https://pacsafe.com/    Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Chris: @AmateurTraveler, https://amateurtraveler.com/

Chris Christensen - Galapagos Islands During the Pandemic

Melanie Radzicki McManus is a freelance travel writer, speaker, and author of Thousand-Miler: Adventures Hiking the Ice Age Trail. “I’m also The Thousand-Miler. Someone who hikes a lot – 7,200+ miles (11,587 km) and counting – and wants to inspire and encourage everyone to give it a try.” https://thethousandmiler.com DESTINATION TIPS Gary: On the Ice age trail - Door County, WI. One of the most visited places in the state. The New England of Wisconsin. Jen: Oceanside, CA https://visitoceanside.org/ Melanie: Whitesands National Park.  Largest Gypsum San Dunes in the world. Get a sled and slide down the sand dunes. Only ten campsites. Sunset changes the colors of the dunes. Otherworldly.    Travel tips of the week: Gary –  RErouted.co. Used gear marketplace. Gear for Hiking, Skiing, Snowboarding, and more.  Jen – Nature Scavenger Hunt Outdoor Kids Activity https://stuffedsuitcase.com/nature-scavenger-hunt/  Melanie: Sun gloves. Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Melanie: @Thethousandmiler

Melanie Radzicki McManus - Hiking America's Scenic Trails

SPECIAL GUEST: Xiomara Rodriguez Director of Marketing & Communications at DiscoverPuertoRico.com   Xiomara Rodriguez talks about Puerto Rico’s recent history and current availability as a tourist destination    Puerto Rica after 2017 Hurricane Maria Infrastructure is back to normal. Tourism and hospitality took advantage of the time after Maria and remodeled and refreshed their properties and attractions.    Puerto Rico during the Pandemic The tourism industry was hit really hard, but was also one of the first US territories to take stringent measures and went into lockdown quickly.   Puerto Rico today.  People can visit Puerto Rico now. They’ve seen a recent increase in tourists coming to the island. Every passenger needs to bring in negative Covid results within 72 hours prior to arrival and a travel declaration form where they upload the results.    Travel tips of the week:   Gary – Bacardi rum factory tour Jen – ThePoingsGuy.com/coronavirus Xiomara – Bomba drums - Louisa in northern part of San Juan is a great place to hear them. There are also Bomba tours.  Vaca Negra farm. You can make your own cheese. https://vacanegra.com/en/ Coffee plantation: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/hacienda-la-mocha/9548   Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Xiomara: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/

Xiomara Rodriguez - Discover Puerto Rico

Brad Niva is the executive director of Travel Southern Oregon, the contracted tourism management organization representing Douglas, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, and Lake counties.   Under Niva's management, this 34-year-old tourism office is in the process of reshaping its future to highlight the best of Southern Oregon. This includes strategic partnerships with the Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley wine regions and making the wine industry a key tourism asset for visitors coming to the area.   Brad has owned and managed three tourism businesses in the Rogue Valley and has a passion to use tourism as an economic development tool to promote our region and support our Oregon communities.       Brad Niva talks about Southern Oregon as a travel destination. https://www.southernoregon.org/      Destination pics of the week:   Gary – Lava Beds National Monument, Tule Lake https://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm  Jen – Rivers Edge Restaurant  https://www.riversedgerestaurant.net  Brad – Galice Resort  http://www.galice.com    Travel tips of the week:   Gary – New locations. UK, Germany, Southern states in the United States and Australia  https://www.starlink.com/ Jen – Guy Kawasaki Remarkable People Podcast https://guykawasaki.com/remarkable-people Brad – Thank you to SATW travel writers for their inspiration   Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Brad: https://www.southernoregon.org/ 

Brad Niva - Southern Oregon Travel

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