Travel Tales

Celebrity in the house! Star of Kingpin, Spies Like Us, Stargate SG-1 and the to-be-released tomorrow Johnny and Clyde- Vanessa Angel!

Marilyn Ball is the Asheville, NC – based host of the Speaking of Travel radio show.

I recently returned from an awesome travel experience aboard the Safari Voyager in Baja California with Uncruise Adventures. While on board I interviewed Capt. Andrea Kosto and Adventures Coordinator Erika Hernandez Calvo.

Julie Fannon is co-owner of Naturalist Journeys, a boutique travel tour company that specializes in nature trips, especially – birding!

Separately, Katie Hannigan and Sarah Tollemache are New York-based standup comedians. Together, they are the women of Lady Journey, a lifestyle blog and podcast that touvhes on everything from travel, to food, to nightlife and more.

Mark Wolters is the creator of WoltersWorld.com and the successful YouTube channel of the same name.

Sahara Rose DeVore is a wellness travel coach and the founder of the Travel Coach Network.

Return guest Richard Nason used the pandemic shutdown to achieve the dream of many a traveler- get his pilot license and buy his own plane.

Don Bunnell took his experiences of living in China, Australia and his travels around the world, to create SwankGuide.com, a site that reviews boutique hotels around the world.

Comedian/Actor Chip Chinery chronicled every gig he did on the road his first year of standup, and compiled the stories and photos in his new book, Charging Mt Standup – My First Year on the Road.

Comedian Noman Hosni grew up outside of Paris with parents of Tunisian and Iraqi backgrounds, and lived in Switzerland for 12 years before coming to Hollywood.

Entrepreneur/singer Ellie Rollins overcame a tough background to raise 3 kids on Hawaii’s Big Island while also creating multiple businesses. Aloha!

Native Texan Brendon David became obsessed with Japan in high school and found himself teaching English for two years in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Host of travel TV show “Road Less Traveled,” Jonathan Legg leads viewers to off-the-beaten-track locations and engages in high-risk adventures.

Chef Shannon Smith is travel and food-obsessed, and we can’t blame her. She’s scoured the globe for food and drink inspiration.

Liz Galloway is a PR exec with a focus on wellness and adventure travel destinations, who’s lived in Morocco, Costa Rica, Alaska, and many other exotic locales.

David Moscow went from child actor (Big, Newsies) to Broadway producer, to host of a travel TV show, “From Scratch”, where he investigates the relationship of food to a location, its history and its people.

American Ryan was in Stockholm, Sweden on business where he began dating French expat Sophie. Soon they hatched the idea of ditching corporate life and living on a sailboat around the world. Four years and a successful YouTube channel later, they are still on the high seas.

Shane Mahoney is the founder of Lugos Travel, which specializes in luxury travel around the world.

Travel writer Matt Meltzer stops in to tell Tales of his journey from Pacific Northwest kid to Miami-based worldwide food and travel expert.

Travel writer/author Peggy Cleveland was a Navy brat before joining the Army herself, and moved 33 times before settling down in Tacoma, WA.

Allan Karl saw his dreams of tech startup riches implode in the early 2000’s, which led him to hop on a motorcycle, travel the world solo for 3 years, and acquire a new set of dreams.

Author and Michigan native Jessica Lipowski lived in Amsterdam for years and now shares a sailboat with her fiance’ in Marina del Rey, CA. She skydives, teaches yoga, and recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Cali O’Connor of The Travel Shifters website talks about helping people change their lives and work remotely from anywhere in the world.

TV meteorologist and travel lover Jennifer Broome shares Tales from her recent trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp!

Lane Fournerat is the patriarch of the Travel Vlog Family, a popular YouTube channel that teaches families how to travel on a budget.

Rob Samborn is a New York guy who followed his writing dream to Hollywood, and has since relocated to Colorado. He shares Tales of inspiration and travel working on his new Venice-based novel, Prisoner of Paradise.

Jennifer Raezer and her husband left their jobs back in 2003 to travel the world. They began writing travel guides, which morphed into their current business – Approach Guides – which provides travel media content for businesses. 

Greg is a native of Poland who emigrated to the UK and is now teaching high school calculus in Beijing, China. His side gig is seeking out and photographing abandoned sites around the world.

Direct from San Sebastian, Spain, chef/author Marti Buckley dishes on life in the foodie heaven that is Basque Country.

Adventure travel journalist Melissa McGibbon checks in from Utah to share Tales of skiing, scuba, and meeting Fidel Castro!

Born in Europe and raised in New York City, fashion designer Stephanie von Watzdorf has traveled her entire life, and the pandemic didn’t slow her down one bit.

For three weeks over the holidays I made my return to performing on a cruise ship. Let’s just say, it did not go as planned. Here’s the story.

Catching up with my fellow VH1 VJ from the 90’s, Robin Dorian! She and her husband Nick went on to create the Find Eat Drink foodie site and now, the FED Travel Guides.

Nicole Chamberlin has lived a life on the move. She was an army brat who lived in Germany as a teenager before moving to Colorado. She later became a flight attendant, then a TV producer living in LA. She’s since lived for three years in Hong Kong and now, Minneapolis.

Nailah Hayward of the travel blog TheresSoMuchToSee.com stops in to share her Tales of journeys around the world.

Comedian Ron Placone spent time living in Italy, in hostels throughout America, and even in his car.

Krissy Krash earned her moniker on the roller derby circuit, but is still rolling strong! She’s now a life coach and personal trainer living and surfing in Costa Rica.

Nate Ritter is the founder of RoomSteals.com, a site that offers hotel rooms at wholesale prices.

Mike celebrates 10 years and 300 episodes of the Travel Tales Podcast by sharing some of his favorite travel memories, answering frequently asked questions, and taking a look at the road ahead. Thank you, listeners!

Comedian Lenny Schmidt has just returned from his first post-pandemic run of cruise gigs to give us the scoop on what to expect on the high seas in this new world.

After leaving the US and living in both Japan and Germany, David McNeill now makes his home in Portugal and founded ExpatEmpire.com to assist others in transitioning to the expat life.

Colorado-based Scott Marshall is the President and CEO of Semester At Sea.

Former Hollywood exec Scott Neeson had it all: big house in the Hollywood Hills, cars, boat, and money to burn – until a trip to SE Asia inspired him to sell everything he owned, move to Cambodia, and create the Cambodian Children’s Fund charity.

Angelyn Rudd caught her traveling bug following the Grateful Dead. That sparked a travel Jones that led to over 60 countries and counting.

Senior Director/Head of Communications for Expedia, Nisreene Atassi, is a Chicago-area native who worked in Dubai and now makes her home in Seattle. We talk tips, trends, and some of her worst travel experiences!

We’re talking expat life with someone who literally wrote the book on the subject – Jessica Drucker!

Author Jessica Drucker literally wrote the book on being expat. 

Rob Babirad never felt settled as an inner-city schoolteacher or a run-of-the-mill lawyer, but he did feel the calling of other countries and cultures. His travels inspires his book “In-Transit Passenger.”

Mike Savas took off during the pandemic for what he called his “Mid-Life Awakening” – learning 12 new skills in 12 months in 12 countries.

For some reason this episode first posted under the wrong name! Here is the correct name – Travis King! Milwaukee native Travis King has lived the better part of the last decade working and traveling around the world and now makes his home in Mexico.

Milwaukee native Travis King has lived the better part of the last decade working and traveling around the world and now makes his home in Mexico.

Comedian Avi Liberman spent the bulk of the 2020 pandemic shuttling between Israel and any other place he could get into, including Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Dubai, and Russia.

Andrew Steven’s April 22, 2021 episode seems to have vanished into Apple Podcasts air, so here is a repost: Andrew Steven wanted to challenge himself and lose weight while doing it. One month and 100 pounds later, he finished hiking California’s John Muir Trail.

California-based geneticist Sara Winokur set her debut thriller novel in Iceland, and went there to do research. She has never stopped visiting.

Andrew Steven wanted to challenge himself and lose weight while doing it. One month and 100 pounds later, he finished hiking California’s John Muir Trail.

Back in 1999 Polly Letofsky took off with one goal in mind- to walk around the entire world. Five years later, she achieved her goal.

Travel writer Kristen Gill checks in from her new home in La Paz, Mexico. She shares Tales of her expat life, her many travel-related injuries, and much more! The Giller!

Eric Giuliani had a dream to travel around the world in one trip – without ever flying. He sold his belongings, saved his money, and took off on a nearly four-year journey. He came back to write a book about his amazing Tales, “Sky’s The Limit.”

Travel writer Katherine Parker-Magyar shares Tales of her many Caribbean adventures and trips to the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

SoCal native Michael Wedaa talks about his personal travel hacks in his new book, International Travel Secrets, and his trips around the world.

English journalist/filmmaker Andrew Gold calls in from his home in Berlin to talk about his upbringing, years in Buenos Aires, and films about exorcists and pedophiles!

Mikkel Thorup of EscapeArtist.com stops in to explain how to live the expat life abroad.

World Traveler and LA native Bryan Souders calls in from Sweden to share Tales of his many adventures and his Swedish lockdown.

Aussie comedian/actor/director Simon Palomares shares Tales of his lockdown experiences from Melbourne, his time on cruise ships, his Cuban documentary, and performing around the world.

Writer/comedian Tess Rafferty is back to talk about her new novel, “Under The Tuscan Gun” and her favorite subject of all – Italy!

Travel professional and Lifestyle Coach Jennine Cohen has traveled extensively through Central and South America, and we caught her just before she makes her permanent move from San Francisco to Mexico.

Actor/stuntwoman/filmmaker Meena Amani shares Tales of ocean adventures around the world, her many injuries, and her new film about ocean conservation.

Vera Camarena returns as guest to give us an update from Portugal, where she and her husband Cam opened a boutique hotel just before the global pandemic and lockdown hit.

Posting this week’s episode as a test for those who didn’t receive the new ep on Apple Podcasts.

Checking in with our old friend Rob Paravonian in Brooklyn to get a taste of what life during COVID-19 is like in the Big Apple.

Nate Timmons graduated college and took off in a 1985 VW Vanagon (and later a bicycle) to visit a father in each state and write a book on parenting – The Dad Book.

Bob DiMenna is one half of the Traveler’s Blueprint podcast. He shares Tales of his trips abroad, what he loves about travel, and his road philosophy.

Stephen Chrisanthus shares his Tales of living in Cabo San Lucas, his many road trips across the US, and his experiences of traveling for four months during Covid-19.

Dialogue Coach and Crypto-realtor Piper Moretti stops by to share her Tales of a recent trip to the Middle East.

Taking a shot of wellness and a side of Italy with yoga instructor Jenny Geyser.

We welcome the founder of Vane Airport Media, Cristina Alcivar, from her home base in Toronto! Can wellness be found in an airport? Yes it can!

REPOST OF 7/2/20 EPISODE- Been getting notice from some listeners that they did not receive last week’s episode with Tyler Smith on Apple Podcasts (I didn’t either!) so I’m resending it this week. Sorry about that. Still working on what happened! -Mike

Filmmaker and host of the Battleship Pretension podcast Tyler Smith makes a long-awaitied return to the studio.

We turn the interview tables on Christine and Jules from the Not So Bon Voyage travel podcast and the Don’t Forget to Move blog!

Christina Cindrich has hosted and produced countless travel TV shows in over 40 countries around the world.

Brittany Lynne is a yoga and meditation teacher who spent the better part of last year working in the jungles of Costa Rica.

Filmmaker Roger Nygard returns to talk about traveling and doing research for his latest documentary, The Truth About Marriage.

A special episode as we check in with travel expert Rachel Rudwall, who is recovering from her battle against the COVID-19 virus.

Since 2016 Brittnay and her boyfriend Jay have been traveling the world and staying for free as house sitters. The Aussie/Kiwi couple started TheTravellingHousesitters.com and show no signs of slowing down!

David Lowe is what many would consider to be a “Renaissance Man.” An Englishman with a background in science and a PhD from Oxford, David moved to France and became a successful actor for 30 years. Last year he won an immigration lottery and relocated his family to Venice, CA.

Special COVID-19 episode. Mike puts in a ZOOM call to Sky Italia entertainment reporter Barbara Tarricone in Bologna to get an update on the situation in Italy.

Steve Bramucci is a novelist, travel/food writer, adventurer, teacher, and storyteller. He is also editor of the LIFE section at Uproxx.com.

A brief announcement to discuss the Coranvirus lockdown and what it means moving forward for Travel Tales and the entire travel industry. Stay safe people!

Author and travel journalist Ernest White II stops by to chat about his upcoming PBS travel show Flybrother, and to share Tales of his experiences living in places like Sao Paolo, the Dominican Republic, Cape Town, and more!

Philip DeBevoise is an entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Citizine.tv destination site and helped launch the Travel Video Awards back in 2018.

Chris Cisneros is a Venezuelan comedian and voice-over actor who emigrated to Medellin, Colombia due to his home country’s political situation. We compare comedy notes, talk about Medellin, and what it’s like to be a stranger in a strange land.

Ever meet anyone who’s spent a year living at the South Pole? Me neither…until I met Darby Butts! Darby is an old friend from my 2014 Kilimanjaro climb who’s now living and working in Medellin, Colombia. He lived and worked for a year at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and has the most amazing Tales.

Born and raised in Australia to American parents, Krista Parker seemed destined to cross continents. She’s made travel her lifestyle, and has had many adventures throughout Asia, South America, and beyond.

Travel Writer Andrew Bender has lived as far away as Japan and Poland, and has spent over 20 years contributing to newspapers, magazines, and travel guides. He also leads tour groups through Japan.

Recently married couple Vera and Cam Camarena are leaving New York City to open a countryside hotel/spa/wellness retreat in Vera’s native Portugal.

Hola from Mazatlan, Mexico! In November I did a comedy show in Mazatlan and sat down with the woman who books the show, Canadian expat and musician Cheryl Gaudet.

Greg Schwem is one of my old comedy pals from Chicago, who makes his living in the lucrative world of corporate comedy. He also has a new YouTube series about staying at AirBnB’s on the road- “A Comedian Crashes Your Pad.”

Jenny Is Free! That’s the name of the blog and Instagram handle of Jenny Richardson, a digital nomad who’s worked and lived in Thailand, China, and around the world!

As a lawyer, travel blogger, teacher, influencer (TravelEsquire.com) and former mayor of a city in New Jersey, Glen Gilmore certainly wears a lot of hats. I met Glen on my recent trip aboard Rocky Mountaineer, and enjoyed hearing of his many varied journeys throughout his life.