Travel Tales

TV exec. Rachel Brill knows how to make the most of a layoff. After getting her pink slip she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, which set her off on a journey to climb the world’s Seven Summits.

TV writer and fellow Rock Solid co-host Christy Stratton joins to tell all about her native Texas, trips to Europe, and flying with a vomiting 6-year-old. Enjoy!

Traveler and food & drink expert Spencer Spellman (WhiskeyTangoGlobetrot.com) shares how he got from small town North Carolina kid to worldwide traveler and blogger.

First Travel Tales guest ever, Comedian, Filmmaker and podcast ambassador Graham Elwood joins us in the Travel Tales studio to talk about his recent trips, to China, Japan, and Australia.

Photographer Laura Grier shares Tales of shooting exotic weddings in far-reaching places around the world, and growing up with parents in the spy game!

Andrew Tyree started his own business, Coast to Costa, where he leads tours through Spain, Cuba, and Mexico. He stopped by the studio to explain how he got started and where some of his favorite secret destinations are to visit.

Comedian Lisa Curry talks about running with the bulls in Spain, scuba diving in Asia, and more!

Comedian/TV host (Clean House) Trish Suhr shares stories of her journey from small-town Kentucky to Hollywood. She also has great Tales of being fired upon while performing for the troops in the Middle East!

The president of HomeExchange.com stops by to talk about his company and a new way to travel in today’s shared economy.

Before heading to the Stockholm Airport, Mike sat down with his generous host Lucas Cardholm to talk about living life in Sweden.

Prolific actor Erin Cahill just joined her musician boyfriend on his tour of Europe and the east coast, and recounts her recent trips to Africa for Charity and safari.

Actress/TV Host Kristin Herold joins us to chat about her recent trip to Staniel Cay in the Bahamas, and give us tips on which are her favorite island destinations.

Comedian Lisa Alvarado stops by to discuss the six weeks she recently spent in Mexico to shore up her Spanish skills. Ole’!

Longtime friend and host of the Rock Solid Podcast, Pat Francis joins us to talk about his recent trips to Rome, Dublin and London, and how he escaped small town Pennsylvania.

Comedian/writer Steve Benaquist shares Travel tales of his two-week trip to Cuba with his girlfriend.

Joe Miragliotta, the man behind the popular JoesDaily.com lifestyle website, stops by to talk about his travels as a style influencer and the tech he uses when on the road.

TV producer Tony Dimond Shares Tales of his travels for HGTV’s Island Hunters. He also talks about his early days doing standup on the road, boyhood trips to Mexico, and more!

Lawyer Jahnavi Goldsteing makes her 2nd appearance on Travel Tales, and she’s got a doozy of a Tale: during her last trip to Bali she contacted Dengue Fever and spent over a week in the hospital! She also discusses her 3-month trip through Europe taken just before the ill-fated Asia experience. 

Lifestyle journalist James Lawrence specializes in wine, restaurants and travel – a great way to live! The London-based Lawrence was one of the media members on my train trip aboard the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada. While the amazing Canadian Rockies passed by the window, we recorded this interview.  Cheers!

BONUS EPISODE! All aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train! Celebrating its 25th anniversary, The Rocky Mountaineer invited members of the media including yours truly, to share the experience. I chatted with communications specialist Jeff Pelletier on the train to get the details on the Rocky Mountaineer legend.

Writer, teacher, scuba diver, blogger and founder of the We Said Go Travel website Lisa Ellen Niver (as in diver) joins us in the studio for a chat. 

James Fell saw photos of himself over 20 years ago and didn’t like what he saw. He decided to lose weight before proposing to his girlfriend, now wife. Thus started a lifetime of fitness and eventually a change in career. James created the Body For Wife website and began posting fitness articles. His humorous and…

Video producer/storyteller Josh Johnson is a seeker of new experiences, new lands, and new hallucinogens. 

No comedian has parlayed comedy into more worldwide travel than Tom Rhodes. He’s hosted a late night talk show in Amsterdam, and performed comedy throughout Asia, Europe and the Middle East.  A dream guest!

LA native Jessica Howard works as an expert in education. Her last vacation with friends was also a chance for her to fulfill a dream of experiencing a place made famous by one of her idols, Charles Darwin – the Galapagos Islands.  

David “Reaper” Justin came by his fearsome moniker as a tactical expert and crack shot on the professional paintball circuit. Justin honed his skills as a soldier in the Israeli army back in the 80’s, after the California native sold his possessions and moved to a kibbutz to find a new way of life.  He returned to…

Back in ’94, John Bizarre quit a successful stand-up and acting career in LA to move to Amsterdam, drive a pedicab, and smoke a lot of weed. He returned two years later a 140-pound opium addict.  Now sober and living and working in Las Vegas, John recalls his travels throughout Europe and Southeast Asia with…

Hollywood screenwriter Jessica Bendinger shares Tales of traveling through Asia and her younger days as a model living in Europe.

Some people are well-traveled, and then there’s Lee Abbamonte. By the ripe old age of 32, Lee became the youngest American to visit every country in the world. From war-torn regions like West Africa and Iraq,  to both the North and South Poles, the Connecticut native has seen it all. I caught up with Lee while…

An American-born child of Vietnamese immigrants, Rosie’s parents met in the thriving expat community in the Crescent City. It may seem like an odd mix of cultures at first, but consider the similarities: humid weather, a strong French influence, and a prominent fishing industry among others, and the match begins to make sense. Rosie began her comedy career…

Highlights from Travel Tales guests and a wrap-up from a great year of travel. 

We all have questions about flying, and Gretchen (not her real name) is here to answer them. 

Comedian Yoshi Obayashi grew up with Japanese and Korean parents in Japan and emigrated to the US as a boy. He adopted a love of many things American: our freedoms, our language, and of course, our massive serving portions. He also developed a love of stand-up comedy, and since starting his career in the Pacific Northwest and…

You may recognize Robert Peters as an actor in numerous films and commercials, but he’s also a writer/director whose films have played in festivals around the world. Robert shares his Tales of hanging with the stars in Cannes, is behinnings in Oklahoma, his love of Thailand, and much more. Enjoy!

Lifestyle and entertainment editor for Travelzoo.com Lesley Nagy stops by the studio to talk about her love of travel and her sweet gig.

Small-town Illinois gal finds her fortune flipping real estate in London and Mexico.

Rachel Rudwall has traveled a lot for her job as a reality TV producer, mostly to Alaska (Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch) and for her own Youtube channel, How2Travelers. 

Actor/comedian utilizes frequent flyer programs and low fares to see the world. Latest travels have been to Easter Island, Peru, Spain, Nepal and India!

Amy Daniels just came down from hiking the John Muir Trail to share Tales of her time spent in China, the Peace Corps in Ukraine, Mt. Everest Base Camp, and most impressively, North Korea!

Want to be a travel writer, or ever wonder how someone becomes one? Laura Kiniry tells her story about traveling the world and getting paid for it.

Photographer/travel writer Alex Robinson splits his time between his native England and his adopted home of Brazil. And has the jungle kidnapping story to prove it!

Blogger Paul Bradbury visited over 90 countries before he was 30, and now lives on the Croatian island of Hvar.  Amazing life and amazing Travel Tales!

A young man spends what would have been his college years working on cargo ships around the world.

The actor/comedian got his first taste of world travel when he signed up for a hitch in the U.S. Navy.  

From a Hare Krishna daughter to a comedian / lawyer, Jahnavi has traveled and seen the world from all sides.

Off to India for a new hip and a new way of thinking.

A whirlwind press tour through Bangkok and beyond combines yours truly with a travel writer and a Muay Thai  boxer.

A private jet pilot sees the world while transporting the rich and famous.

A TV writer/producer reflects on a teenage life spent  living in Asia and Venezuala.

A NY native finds a career helping others discover her beloved Africa.

The Kentucky native and TV host/comedian talks about her days spent working for Australian television and how she earned the nickname “Wrong-Way Mahone.”

Eric Rosen from The Points Guy website drops in to talk about maximizing your rewards points and miles, and his life in the travel biz. 

Editor-In-Chief of travel site JetsetExtra.com Mary Anne Been stops in to give us the lowdown on travel media, seeing the world, and more!

A succesful P.R. exec gives up her career to form a non-profit dedicated to saving the world’s endangered sharks.

Lauren Marke is not your everyday attorney. Here she discusses her climbs of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Everest base camp, and some of her other travels around the world.

A solo surf trip to Nicaragua leads a  comedian down some unexpected paths.

Jonathon’s career as a camera assistant, along with his passion for travel, has taken him around the world.

The actress/comedian shares Tales of working as a flight attendant before joining the Peace Corps. Fasten your seat belts!

Comedians Wayne Federman, Jackie Kashian, and Murray Valeriano join us backstage at LA Podcast Festival to share some Travel Tales!

Steve Benaquist, Chris Mancini, and Matt Knudsen sit down with Mike backstage at the 2013 LA Podcast Festival to talk Travel. 

Creater if the travel website Lola’s Travels, Lauren Dimarco sits down to share her Travel Tales!

Multiple trips to Asia were enough to send an actress on an entirely new career path.

The winemaker welcomed Travel Tales to Croatia with open arms – and open bottles.

From childhood in suburban Chicago to leading travelers through the Amazon, this writer has come a long way, baby.

The star of A&E’s “Sell This House – Extreme” shares Tales of life on the road, both on and off-camera. Travel Tales is pleased to welcome longtime friend and TV celebrity Tanya Memme to the show! As host of A&E’s “Sell This House – Extreme” for the past 12 years, Tanya has spent a good portion…

A love of wine drove this Chicago native to relocate to the West Coast, then seek out the finest grapes in Europe and South America. Some of my earliest travel experiences (without parents leading the way) were with my high school friend Mark. Many long hours were spent together in our cheap little cars, driving to places…

Welcome to Travel Tales Podcast version 2.0!

The actor (not actress!) shares how her travel experiences have shaped her life and profession. They say every actor draws on life experiences, and Iris Braydon is no exception. She shares some Travel Tales that include: making out on a nightclub table in Israel as a teenager, getting scammed her first day in Paris, being chased by a heroin…

Ever wonder what life on an Israeli kibbutz is like? Do you even know what the heck a kibbutz is? This episode’s guest, comedian/writer Adam Gropman, describes the 4-1/2 months he spent in the Israeli desert as a 21-year-old laboring at what Woody Allen once described as “socialist summer camp.” Let’s just say his skill at…

Is film producer Darin Dusan’s life story more interesting than yours? Probably. Darin has lived many lives since leaving small-town Iowa some 20 years ago.  After relocating to San Francisco, he lived and worked in Bali for two years while dating a princess. Later, when an attempt at owning a cafe back in Iowa City proved…

How did a nice San Diego girl end up a TV star in Croatia? We find out as we’re joined by TV host/producer Ashley Colburn, who saw her brother’s Croatia travel photos and decided that it would the perfect place to produce a travel program. Now Ashley’s numerous shows can be seen all over Europe…

Melanie Wynne Waldman may have three names but her travel website is all about two’s. Melanie started Travels with Two to urge couples to get out and see the world. She’s since split with her other half, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped traveling. Far from it. Melanie has toured most of Central America and…

A lot of people say they’re going to chuck it all and move to a tropical island, but very few have the stones to do it. Jason McAnear possesses those stones. The ex-Marine left his career and cold weather back in Boise, ID, and moved to the Caribbean island of Roatan, Honduras. Six months later…

Ahoy, Mates! All aboard The Rock Boat! What’s the Rock Boat, you say? It’s a floating 5-day rock festival with over 30 bands playing multiple stages throughout the day. My friend Graham Elwood (Travel Tales episode 1 guest), was the comic relief on the boat and had a spare cabin – which I promptly filled….

Taryn Sammons is a small woman with a big title: Social Media and Media Relations Manager for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau in South Mississippi. Whew. Based in Biloxi, MS., Taryn’s main job is to promote Mississippi Gulf Coast tourism  in the wake of two major disasters over the eight years- Hurricane…

Brett Snyder has a thing for air travel. While most kids were building tree houses and playing Little League, Brett was collecting flight schedules and booking friends and family as an actual travel agent. After years of working in the airline industry after college, Brett started Crankyflier.com- an award-winning travel site  featuring all things air…

Lindsay Taub and Lanee Lee met as travel writers on a press trip. They decided to join forces to create their own travel/lifestyle website, and Voyage Vixens was born! In just their first six months together, they’ve already been to Kenya, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Mexico, Utah, Washington State, and more. They love adventure, with a…

The TV producer dropped everything to travel around the world for a year. Our kind of guy!

Australian filmmaker/cameraman Nick King joins us to share his Travel Tales! Nick recently shot a film project that took him from the North Pole all the way to Colombia. Frightening helicopter rides? Check. Scary border crossings? Check. Frozen camera lenses and batteries? double check. Nick also opens up about his travels in SE Asia and…

Kiersten Rich got her business degree and took a job in the big city of Los Angeles. All was going to plan, but like so many of us, she heard the call of the open road. The San Diego native decided to quit her job, travel the world, and start her own travel blog- The…

The travel writer stops by to tell us about her favorite locales around the world

The man behind the popular website JohnnyJet.com shares the Tales of how he became travel blog royalty. Johnny Jet is living the dream. In the early days of dial-up internet in the ’90′s, Johnny started blogging about his travels before anyone knew what a blog was. In 2000, he started JohnnyJet.com to urge people to get out…

The TV producer dishes dirt on her native Philippines and getting robbed in Barcelona!

More with our favorite worldly English comic!

The English comedian shares Tales of his life in the US and across the pond. 

Recorded in London with our favorite Brit!

Talkin ‘ England with Dara McGarry!

Around the world with TV producer Jessica Nahmias!

For our 50th episode, I play guest and am interviewed by my pal J. Keith Van Straaten.