Unusual Places Archives - Page 2 of 11

Facing Fears And Changing Your Mind While Traveling. Cycling Around The World With Doug Walsh

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If you spend years planning your dream trip, what happens when life gets in the way? Do you change your plans or do you plow on regardless? Is the journey more important than the destination, and are you living in a way that honors that choice?

In this wide-ranging interview with Doug Walsh, we talk about how fears and expectations can shape our travel experiences, and what we can learn about ourselves as well as the places we visit along the way.

Doug Walsh is a former game strategy author and travel writer. His novel, Tailwinds Past Florence, is a romantic adventure with a time travel twist based on cycling around the world with his wife Kristen.

Show notes

Planning a trip around the world for six years and some of the highlights
The generosity of strangers
Learning about ourselves on long trips — especially when we have to face our fears along the way
Holding plans lightly and pivoting when necessary
Dealing with travel burn-out
Maintaining a healthy relationship while traveling with a partner
What happens when you get home after a big trip?
Recommended books

You can find Doug Walsh at DougWalsh.com

Murder In Paradise. Mallorca With JJ Marsh

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“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Battuta

Mallorca is a beautiful Spanish island in the Balearics, rich with history and culture, from the medieval architecture of Palma’s old town to the picturesque coastal village of Deia and the mountainous interior. Many come to the relaxed island for an escape, but others imagine murder in paradise.

In this interview, international crime author, JJ Marsh, talks about the inspiration of Mallorca and how she sees the world as an outsider, constructing stories from her travels.

JJ Marsh is the bestselling author of the Beatrice Stubbs crime series. Her latest book is The Woman in the Frame, set in Mallorca, which we’re talking about today.

Show notes

Why Mallorca is so enticing to visit and write about
The joy of older cities with lots of history
Seeing past the beauty of a place to write murder
Wine and food recommendations
Is there any truth to cultural stereotypes? Writing as an outsider.
Recommended books about or set on Mallorca

You can find JJ Marsh at JJMarshAuthor.com

History As A Fine Art. Victorian London With David Morrell

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If you look below the surface of an ancient city, you can travel through time and find its deeper layers. In this episode, David Morrell talks about how he researched Victorian London for his historical mysteries about Thomas De Quincey, and how he brought to light the “chasms and sunless abysses” of the first British serial killer.

David Morrell is the multi-award-winning and many times bestselling author of over 30 books, as well as short stories, essays, comics, and collaborations that have sold millions of copies and are available in many different languages. He has a Ph.D. in American literature and was a professor of literature at the University of Iowa. His novel First Blood became the Rambo franchise, but today we’re talking about the Thomas De Quincey historical mysteries set in Victorian London. The first in the series is Murder as a Fine Art.

Show notes

Time travel through book research as a way of dealing with grief
Thomas De Quincy, addiction and the unconscious
How De Quincy invented the true crime genre
Finding inspiration in mid-Victorian London
Famous locations that inspire David’s work

You can find David Morrell at DavidMorrell.net

Header photo: St Pancras Station, finished in 1868 and abandoned by the 1960s. After much lobbying, it was restored to its glorious Victorian self and re-opened in 2007. It is one of my favorite stations in London!

Druids, Freemasons and Frankenstein. The Darker Side of Bath, England

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Bath is known for its ancient Roman spa, medieval abbey, and sweeping Georgian terraces. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site in Somerset in the south-west of England and visitors often come on a circular cultural trip that takes in Stonehenge and Stratford-on-Avon.

But it’s not all Jane Austen bonnets, Regency dresses, and afternoon tea — there is a darker and more interesting side of Bath if you escape the tourist traps and explore the layers beneath. In this episode, I talk about the city I currently call home.

How finding a map shop helped me discover a different side to Bath
Curse tablets for an ancient goddess
Angels and demons and the dead of Bath Abbey
The city of Frankenstein
Ley lines, Druids and Freemasons
Walking the Kennet and Avon canal
Finding home in Bath during the pandemic
Recommended restaurants, bars, pubs and coffee shops away from the tourist traps
Recommended books about or set in Bath

Finding Beauty In The Ordinary. A Different Side Of Poland With Ben Aitken

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In this wide-ranging interview with Ben Aitken, we talk about challenging cultural stereotypes, identifying as the ‘Other,’ and how to find beauty in the ordinary, as well as thoughts on where to visit and what to eat and drink when visiting Poland.

Ben Aitken is a freelance writer, playwright, and the author of three travel books. Today, we’re talking about his book, A Chip Shop in Poznan: My Unlikely Year in Poland.

Show notes

The relationship between the UK and Poland and how that changed while Ben lived there during the referendum
How travel can change attitudes
Finding beauty in the ordinary
Recommendations for food, drink, and places to consider visiting in Poland
The joy of travel without planning
The possibility of a return to more local travel in the wake of the pandemic
Why Ben chooses unusual trips like taking coach tours with the elderly as he writes about in his latest book, The Gran Tour
Recommended books about Poland

You can find Ben Aitken at BenAitken.com

A Pocket Of Wilderness: Adventure Travel With Anna McNuff

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Adventure is a mindset. You can find it in a pocket of wilderness in your local area just by doing something different and seeking out the unusual — or you can find it by running Great Britain barefoot, cycling the Andes, and running the length of New Zealand!

In this interview, adventurer Anna McNuff talks about the definition of adventure, finding the element of the unknown, encouraging young people to explore, and the acceptance that change is the only constant.

Anna McNuff is a British adventurer, professional speaker, and author named by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the 50 most influential travelers of our time. And by The Guardian as one of the top modern female adventurers.

Show notes

What is ‘adventure’?
The changing motivations for adventure travel
Cultivating a voice that supports adventure
Stepping into the unknown
Running from Scotland to London barefoot
Change is a constant
What travel might look like in the future
How adventure travel is actually about storytelling
How moments from our young lives shape us

You can find Anna McNuff at AnnaMcNuff.com and on Instagram @annamcnuff

Photos used with permission from Anna McNuff.

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