Podcast Archives - Books And Travel

Open Road: A Midlife Journey Through The US National Parks With Toby Neal

How can travel help us as we search for a new direction in mid-life? Why does nature offer us insight into ourselves and experiences that go far beyond the physical? Toby Neal talks about her experience of the US National Parks.

Toby Neal is an award-winning USA Today best-selling author of mysteries, thrillers, and romance, as well as travel memoir under T. W. Neal. She’s also a mental health therapist and the author of Open Road: A Midlife Memoir of Travel Through the National Parks of the USA.

Show notes

Why mid-life is a time to reassess what you want to do with your life — and how travel can be a catalyst for change
Some of the beautiful places in the US National Parks
Spiritual aspects of being in nature when the veil is thin
The physical and mental challenges of travel — and dealing with fear and anxiety along the way
The comfort of the familiar when traveling
Recommended travel books

You can find Toby Neal at TobyNeal.net and on Instagram @authortobyneal

You can also listen to our discussion about Wild and Beautiful Hawaii in episode 11.

If Only I Had More Time. A Motorcycle Journey Through Britain with Mark Probert

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Good travel books are not just about a physical journey or a place. They are also about the emotional side of travel and the feelings we experience along the way.

In this interview with Mark Probert, we discuss his motorcycle journey through Britain following the path of writer John Hillaby 50 years after the original book — and how the passing of time impacts our choices around travel, especially at a time when we cannot take it for granted as we did pre-pandemic.

Mark Probert is the author of Another Journey Through Britain about a motorcycle road trip through the back lanes of Great Britain.

Show notes

Riding the length of Britain on a motorbike
The pros and cons of motorbike travel
Changes to parts of Britain over decades
Enjoying food specific to local areas (like cheddar in Cheddar)
Does reporting on travel change your experience of it? And does that matter?
Reflections on the passing of time
Recommended travel books

You can find Mark Probert at MGProbert.com

Wanderland. A Search For Magic In The Landscape With Jini Reddy

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There are places where the ‘veil is thin,’ where we can connect with the Other in the landscape — if only we learn how to listen. In this interview, Jini Reddy talks about how to find magic in the natural world.

Jini Reddy is an award-winning author and journalist. Her latest book is Wanderland: A Search for Magic in the Landscape.

Show notes

How can we connect with the ‘Other’ in the landscape?
The attraction of islands
Aspects of pilgrimage
The archetypal attraction of labyrinths
Seeing our local area with new eyes
Can a traveler ever find home?
Travel book recommendations

You can find Jini Reddy at JiniReddy.co.uk

Travel In A Vast And Diverse Country. Australia With Pamela Cook

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What are the truths behind stereotypes of Australia — and what are the things that might surprise you? Pamela Cook talks about rural places, diversity of people and landscape, and the attractions of the city in this interview.

Pamela Cook writes rural and contemporary Australian fiction featuring complex women and tangled family relationships and is a podcaster at Writes4Women.

Show notes

What might surprise travelers about Australia
Attractions of the rural Australian life
Observing life in smaller towns and being inspired to write about them
Highlights of Sydney and the ease of public transport
Thoughts on post-pandemic travel
Book recommendations set in Australia

You can find Pamela Cook at PamelaCook.com.au

For more on Australia, check out Sacred Australia and the Northern Territory with Amanda Markham, and Outback Nights and City Days, my personal experience of Australia.

Walking To Rome On The Via Francigena With Chandi Wyant

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“Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.” Soren Kierkegaard

When life becomes unbearably painful, sometimes the only thing to do is go for a really long walk. In this episode, Chandi Wyant talks about how walking the Via Francigena in Italy for 40 days helped her heal after a painful divorce, and how the lessons of pilgrimage can take time to emerge.

Chandi Wyant is an author, a Florentine Renaissance historian, and an accredited guide to Italy’s museums. Her latest book is Return to Glow, a Pilgrimage of Transformation in Italy.

Show notes

Why Florence and Italy
What is the Via Francigena?
The spiritual lessons learned on pilgrimage, even if you’re not religious
The challenging emotional and physical aspects of pilgrimage
Digging deep to face the fears that come with traveling solo
How traveling can increase our appreciation for other cultures
Travel book recommendations

You can find Chandi Wyant at ParadiseOfExiles.com

Travel That Changes The Way You Think About The World With Pam Mandel

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“We’re all so far downstream from who we used to be.” Pam Mandel

We all have ideas about places that are far away from us, but when you talk to real people who live there, it’s hard to hold on to your preconceived notions. Those encounters can remain with you in memory even as you change and the place you left changes too.

Pam Mandel is an award-winning freelance travel writer and co-founder of The Statesider, a newsletter of U.S. travel stories. Her latest book is The Same River Twice: A Memoir of Dirtbag Backpackers, Bomb Shelters, and Bad Travel.

Show notes

When travel changes the way you think about the world
“It’s complicated.” Thoughts on Israel
Tapping into memory when writing
How to explore an unknown place — when to branch out of your comfort zone, and when it’s a good idea to retreat to the ‘known’
Making more of traveling in the USA
Is there such a thing as bad travel?
Travel book recommendations

You can find Pam Mandel at NerdsEyeView.com and The Statesider.

Header photo: Seattle by Luca Micheli on Unsplash

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