The Travel Diaries

From the jazz clubs and Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans to the swamps, dance halls and small towns of Acadiana, this Destination Special explores a side of Louisiana, USA that many visitors never get to see.We travel west along Interstate 10 into the heart of Cajun and Creole country, a region shaped by its French language, distinctive music, extraordinary food and deep connection to the surrounding bayous.Louisiana travel and culture writer Herman Fuselier shares the traditions behind Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras, introduces the sounds of Cajun and Zydeco music, and explains why the true heart of Cajun country lies beyond New Orleans.Cajun French musician Jourdan Thibodeaux joins me from his home on Cypress Island, overlooking the Atchafalaya Basin. We discuss language, identity, life in the swamp and the importance of experiencing South Louisiana authentically.Finally, Lori Johnson Walls of Johnson’s Boucanière in Lafayette introduces the dishes every first-time visitor should try, from crawfish étouffée and po’boys to beignets and a proper Louisiana boudin.Destination RecapCities, towns and regionsNew Orleans, USABaton Rouge, USAAcadiana, USAAtchafalaya Basin, USALafayette, USABreaux Bridge, USAOpelousas, USAEunice, USANew Iberia, USALake Charles, USASunset, USAArnaudville, USAWashington, USACypress Island, USAHenderson, USAMamou, USAAvery Island, USAVacherie, USAPlaces mentionedNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, USAFrench Quarter, New Orleans, USACafé du Monde, New Orleans, USAEunice Cajun Mardi Gras, Eunice, USALa Poussière Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, USABreaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Breaux Bridge, USAEl Sido’s Zydeco & Blues Club, Lafayette, USAFestivals Acadiens et Créoles, Lafayette, USAJohnson’s Boucanière, Lafayette, USADwyer’s Café, Lafayette, USAPoor Boy’s Riverside Inn, Lafayette, USAOlde Tyme Grocery, Lafayette, USABorden’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Lafayette, USAOriginal Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, Opelousas, USADezMeaux’s Boudin, Opelousas, USASteamboat Warehouse Restaurant, Washington, USAHotel Klaus, Washington, USAFred’s Lounge, Mamou, USACypress Cove Landing Houseboats, Henderson, USATABASCO Factory and Avery Island, Avery Island, USALaura Plantation, Vacherie, USATo find out more about visiting Louisiana, go to ExploreLouisiana.com.If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director for The Standard.With thanks to...Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host.

This week on The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, I’m joined by Sarah Allard, Digital Director of Condé Nast Traveller, for your weekly weekend dose of wanderlust.Sarah’s job takes her to some extraordinary places, and today she’s sharing the trips, hotels and foodie finds she thinks should be on your radar. We start with the growing appeal of Northern Europe, including the Danish island of Bornholm, before heading to New York for her 40th birthday celebrations. Expect bagels, martinis and a few days in the Hudson Valley, where pretty towns, farm shops and gorgeous hotels make the perfect contrast to Manhattan.We’re also talking Greek island favourites, from the spectacular restaurant setting that won Sarah over on Sifnos to a new hotel on Paros. My Hotel of the Week is Monastero Santa Rosa on the Amalfi Coast, where I found what might just be my favourite swimming pool in the world.And if you’re looking for somewhere closer to home this autumn, Sarah answers a listener’s question about cosy British boutique stays, with two delicious recommendations in Somerset and Devon.Destination RecapSwedenFinlandThe Lofoten Islands, NorwayBornholm, DenmarkNew York City, USAThe Hudson Valley, New York, USAINNESS, Accord, New York, USAThe Catskills, New York, USAWildflower Farms, Auberge Collection, Gardiner, New York, USARhinebeck, New York, USAAthens, GreeceSifnos, GreeceFaros, Sifnos, GreeceNÓS Hotel & Villas, Sifnos, GreeceParos, GreeceLuura Paros Cliff, Paros, GreeceSantorini, GreeceMykonos, GreeceGleneagles, Auchterarder, ScotlandThe Amalfi Coast, ItalyMonastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa, Conca dei Marini, ItalyAmalfi, ItalyPositano, ItalyCapri, ItalyBruton, Somerset, EnglandNumber One Bruton, Bruton, EnglandAt the Chapel, Bruton, EnglandGlebe House, East Devon, EnglandIndiaThe River Nile, EgyptOne&Only Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, Montana, USAEdinburgh, ScotlandGlasgow, ScotlandThe Scottish Highlands, ScotlandHope by WildLand, Sutherland, ScotlandIf you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. You can also send me your travel questions for a future episode of Unpacked at thetraveldiarespodcast@gmail.com With thanks to...Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host.

Today’s guest is returning to the podcast after 5 years! TV presenter, adventurer and explorer Steve Backshall is one of the most travelled people in the world, and one of the best story tellers - so he is the ultimate Travel Diaries guest. Just listening back to his first episode in preparation for today was a reminder of what an amazing episode that was - if you haven’t listened to that scroll back and listen to that first, because his life is so interesting, and then come back and listen to this one!It was so lovely to meet him in person this time, just last week. We filmed this in London, and it was really good fun putting some of your new travel diaries chapters to him - his answers were sensational. When somebody has been to this many places it's hard to know where to start, but I think that you're going to be absolutely captivated by Steve's stories, as I was.So from Suriname to the Scilly Isles, Jerusalem to Alaska, and so much more, here’s Steve.**Listeners - there's a strange video with the loading of Apple Podcasts' video today, so I'm reuploading this as an audio only file until it resolves.**Destination recapWest Cornwall, EnglandLand’s End, EnglandSouth AfricaSurinameAlaska, USAJuneau, USAThe Azores, PortugalDominicaColombiaPapua New GuineaNew Britain, Papua New GuineaNew Ireland, Papua New GuineaNew CaledoniaYucatán, MexicoCancún, MexicoTulum, MexicoBimini, The BahamasThe Isles of Scilly, EnglandSt Martin’s, Isles of ScillyJerusalemTel Aviv, IsraelThe Negev Desert, IsraelKyrgyzstanNortheast Greenland, GreenlandSteve’s Deadly Live tour begins in October. Find out more here.If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Conde Nast Traveller’s Digital Director, Sarah Allard.With thanks to...Kimpton Los Monteros - a five-star hotel for discovering the best of Marbella.Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

Today I’m joined by travel writer, author and photographer, Luke Abrahams. Luke is one of the UK's most prolific travel journalists, having been to 30 countries this year alone, and he's about to release a new book, The Luxury Travel Book: 25 personal experiences that make you rethink the world and your place in it. These are stories that make you rethink the beauty of life and the mastery of human creativity, and it is packed full of his beautiful photography too.We'll be unpacking Ruthie Rogers' bucket list destination, Kyoto; reflecting on my Hotel of the Week, Casa Angelina; chatting about Luke's recent trip to Ladakh in Northern India, and answering your listener question.Destination RecapThe Shinmonzen, Kyoto, JapanPark Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto, JapanSowaka, Kyoto, JapanTokyo, JapanOkinawa, JapanOsaka, JapanHotel Lo Scoglio, Nerano, ItalyThe Amalfi Coast, ItalyRavello, ItalyCasa Angelina, Praiano, ItalyPositano, ItalyCapri, ItalyLe Sirenuse, Positano, ItalyThe Path of the Gods, Amalfi Coast, ItalyScala, ItalyLadakh, IndiaShakti Ladakh, Ladakh, IndiaKargil, IndiaThe Imperial New Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaLeh, IndiaParo, BhutanGenghis Khan Retreat, Orkhon Valley, MongoliaUlaanbaatar, MongoliaKazakhstanTajikistanLuke's new book, The Luxury Travel Book: Extraordinary experiences money can't buy is available for pre-order here.If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.With thanks to...Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/hostI’ll be back on Tuesday.

Today’s guest is one of the most influential figures in British food. Ruthie Rogers is the chef and co-founder of The River Cafe, the legendary Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Hammersmith, which she opened with Rose Gray in 1987. Over nearly four decades, The River Cafe has completely transformed the way we eat and think about Italian food in this country, and its kitchens have helped launch the careers of some of Britain’s best-known chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Theo Randall and April Bloomfield.But Ruthie’s influence extends far beyond the restaurant. She’s the author of numerous much-loved cookbooks and the host of the hugely successful podcast Ruthie’s Table 4, where an extraordinary guest list, from Paul McCartney and Elton John to David Beckham, Tony Blair and Nancy Pelosi, share the food memories that have shaped their lives. The podcast has now inspired her beautiful new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life.And it turns out that food memories and travel memories have a great deal in common. Both can transport us instantly back to a particular person, place or moment in our lives. I joined Ruthie at The River Cafe on a gloriously sunny summers day. Her travel diaries today take us from Cuba and Mexico to Maine and Marrakech, as well as her beloved Italy and the beautiful rhythm of family life she created with her late husband, the architect Richard Rogers, with summers in Tuscany, winters exploring the world and an almost constant desire to plan the next adventure.Destination Recap:Havana, CubaHotel Lungarno, Florence, ItalyCamino Real, Mexico City, MexicoContramar, Mexico City, MexicoNiddo, Mexico City, MexicoOaxaca, MexicoPuerto Escondido, MexicoHuatulco, MexicoChichén Itzá, Yucatán, MexicoUxmal, Yucatán, MexicoMonte Albán, Oaxaca, MexicoPalermo, Sicily, ItalyNaples, ItalyLo Scoglio, Marina del Cantone, ItalyAmalfi Coast, ItalyRavello, ItalyCapri, ItalyVernazza, Cinque Terre, ItalyTrattoria Gianni Franzi, Vernazza, ItalySanta Margherita Ligure, ItalyPortofino, ItalyBelmond Hotel Cipriani, Venice, ItalyYork, Maine, USAMarrakech, MoroccoTaroudant, MoroccoTafraoute, MoroccoEssaouira, MoroccoFez, MoroccoThe Shinmonzen, Kyoto, JapanYou can listen to Ruthie’s Table 4, wherever you get your podcasts.Her new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life is available now.I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked.If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. With thanks to...Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/hostCitalia - Discover the real Italy with Citalia, the UK’s leading Italian holiday specialists. Let the Italy Experts craft the perfect holiday for you and experience Italy like a Citalian.

This week on The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, I’m joined by Lauren Ho, one of the world’s most well-travelled luxury hotel experts. Lauren is Travel Director of Wallpaper*, a contributing editor at Country & Town House and the Academy Chair for Western Europe for The World’s 50 Best Hotels.Recorded just days after this year’s list was revealed in Paris, Lauren shares her reaction to the results, why Asian hotels continue to dominate the top 10 and which new entries she was particularly pleased to see recognised.We also journey to AlUla in Saudi Arabia, where ancient Nabataean tombs, dramatic desert landscapes and extraordinary new hotels are putting the destination firmly on the travel map. Lauren shares her recent stay at Six Senses Amaala on the Red Sea and takes us inside her trip to Georgia, from the hidden corners of Tbilisi to Kakheti’s vineyards and traditional amber wine.My Hotel of the Week is the newly restored Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, overlooking the impossibly beautiful harbour of Portofino.Plus, in our listener Q&A, Lauren recommends the perfect luxurious but not completely bank-breaking destination for a special family celebration.Destination RecapThe Peninsula Paris, Paris, FranceRosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaMandarin Oriental, Bangkok, Bangkok, ThailandChablé Yucatán, Chocholá, MexicoUpper House Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaMandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing, ChinaRosewood São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilPassalacqua, Lake Como, ItalyAtlantis The Royal, Dubai, UAEFour Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok, ThailandCapella Bangkok, Bangkok, ThailandAmangiri, Canyon Point, Utah, USAMonument Valley, USAAlUla, Saudi ArabiaBanyan Tree AlUla, AlUla, Saudi ArabiaOur Habitas AlUla, AlUla, Saudi ArabiaThe Chedi Hegra, Hegra, Saudi ArabiaPetra, JordanThe Peninsula Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaFORESTIS, Brixen, ItalyVilla Treville, Positano, ItalyCarlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, Cannes, FranceSplendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino, ItalySix Senses Amaala, AMAALA, Saudi ArabiaRosewood Amaala, AMAALA, Saudi ArabiaTbilisi, GeorgiaThe Telegraph Hotel, Tbilisi, GeorgiaKakheti, GeorgiaEstelle Manor, The Cotswolds, England

Today’s guest is one of Britain’s funniest, most distinctive and most beloved writers, Caitlin Moran.Caitlin began writing her first book at just 13, was published at 16, and became an award-winning Times columnist and the bestselling author of books including How to Be a Woman, More Than a Woman and What About Men?Her brilliant new book is called How to Be Hopeful, and it begins with a feeling I think many of us will recognise: that the world has become overwhelming and the only reasonable solution might be to run away and start an entirely new life somewhere else. In Caitlin’s case, that meant fantasising about a self-sufficient farmhouse in the Welsh mountains, until she discovered quite how expensive Welsh farmhouses actually are. So what happens next? From her wonderfully feral childhood summers she spent living with her seven siblings in a tiny caravan in Wales to a romantic road trip through the Scottish Highlands; the lavish trip to Antigua that taught her luxury travel wasn’t necessarily for her; and why Corfu remains the island she returns to again and again, and much much more, here are the Travel Diaries of Caitlin Moran.Destination Recap:Tregaron, WalesStrata Florida Abbey, WalesYnyslas, WalesUllapool, ScotlandRannoch Moor, ScotlandCornwall, EnglandAntigua and BarbudaTenby, WalesKassiopi, Corfu, GreecePaxos, GreeceAntipaxos, GreeceIcelandJapanese Alps, JapanTokyo, JapanAbergavenny, WalesBannau Brycheiniog, WalesFlorida, USAAustriaScandinaviaThanks so much for listening today. If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. I’ll be back on Sunday with The Travel Diaries: Unpacked and our guest, World’s 50 Best Hotels European chair, and travel journalist, Lauren Ho.If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. With thanks to...Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/hostHotels with History podcast - Hotels with History is a podcast hosted by actor Richard E. Grant and travel & hospitality expert Jules Perowne, uncovering the scandals, legends and surprising stories behind the world's most legendary hotels. Search Hotels with History wherever you get your podcasts 

Hello and welcome to our very first episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, your weekend travel fix. Today I’m joined by the fabulous John O'Ceallaigh. John is a travel journalist and consultant to luxury hospitality brands, who previously served as the luxury travel editor for The Telegraph for nearly a decade.We'll be unpacking Nisha's bucket list destination, China; reflecting on my Hotel of the Week, Six Senses London; chatting about John's recent trip to Azerbaijan, and answering your listener question.Destination Recap:ChinaBeijing, ChinaShanghai, ChinaYunnan, ChinaShangri-La, Yunnan, ChinaGanden Sumtseling Monastery, Shangri-La, ChinaYellow Mountain, Anhui, ChinaChengdu, Sichuan, ChinaSt Peter’s Basilica, Vatican CitySix Senses London, Bayswater, London, EnglandThe Whiteley, Bayswater, London, EnglandNotting Hill, London, EnglandDubai, United Arab EmiratesBaku, AzerbaijanCaspian Sea, AzerbaijanFairmont Baku, Flame Towers, Baku, AzerbaijanHeydar Aliyev Centre, Baku, AzerbaijanUzbekistanKhiva, UzbekistanSamarkand, UzbekistanRegistan Square, Samarkand, UzbekistanAll the destinations mentioned are included in the episode show notes and on thetraveldiariespodcast.com If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. With thanks to...Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/hostI’ll be back on Tuesday. 

Hello and welcome to a brand new season of The Travel Diaries. It’s great to be back!I couldn’t think of a more joyful guest to kick off the season than Nisha Katona. A former child protection barrister turned restaurateur, food writer and TV presenter, Nisha is the founder of the hugely successful Mowgli Street Food restaurants, the author of several cookbooks, including her newest release, The Curry Bible, and was a judge on the BBC’s Great British Menu. In this episode, Nisha describes herself as a “culinary evangelist and anthropologist”, and food is the thread running through her extraordinary Travel Diaries. We journey from childhood holidays in Mallorca and the tastes that first awakened her curiosity, to Beijing, her ancestral home of Varanasi, the temples and night markets of Cambodia, and her love for the Amalfi Coast.Our conversation travelled far beyond holidays, taking in family, identity, faith, grief and the ways in which travel helps us understand both the world and ourselves.Destination Recap:Mallorca, SpainTaunus Therme, Bad Homburg, GermanyBeijing, ChinaForbidden City, Beijing, ChinaVaranasi, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaRiver Ganges, Varanasi, IndiaSiem Reap, CambodiaAngkor Wat, Siem Reap, CambodiaJeju Island, South KoreaAmalfi Coast, Campania, ItalyMount Vesuvius, Campania, ItalyPompeii, Campania, ItalyHerculaneum, Campania, ItalyParco dei Principi, Sorrento, ItalyPositano, Campania, ItalyRavello, Campania, ItalyCapri, Campania, ItalyLloret de Mar, Catalonia, SpainBlanes, Catalonia, SpainIbiza, SpainChinaJerusalem, IsraelNisha's fabulous new book, The Curry Bible, is out now. Today’s conversation was filmed earlier this summer at the beautiful London Marriott Hotel County Hall, in the most spectacular room - The Big Ben Balcony Suite - overlooking the Thames and the Houses of Parliament.I’ll be back on Sunday with our first episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked with travel editor John O'Ceallaigh.If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. With thanks to...Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/hostCitalia - Discover the real Italy with Citalia, the UK’s leading Italian holiday specialists. Let the Italy Experts craft the perfect holiday for you and experience Italy like a Citalian.