TrodPod

The Dominican Republic is the Caribbean with the volume turned up — and a surprising amount of substance behind the sunshine. Yes, there are the postcard beaches of Punta Cana, all white sand and turquoise water, but this is also the site of the first European city in the Americas, the highest mountain in the Caribbean, and a merengue-and-bachata soundtrack that seems to follow you everywhere. Fertile, mountainous, and endlessly lively, it rewards anyone who ventures beyond the resort.Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to the Dominican Republic for just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions

Ukraine is Europe's second-largest country and, right now, a byword for resilience. Beneath the headlines of war lies a nation of golden-domed monasteries, grand boulevards, and some of the richest farmland on Earth — the fabled "breadbasket of Europe." From ancient Kyiv to Habsburg-flavoured Lviv and cosmopolitan, Mediterranean-tinged Odesa, this is a place of deep history, fierce culture, and extraordinary courage. Travel is currently heavily restricted and comes with serious caveats — but Ukraine's spirit is unmistakable.Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to Ukraine for just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions

Tunisia is the ancient, sun-baked heart of the Maghreb: a small North African country carrying a hell of a lot of history. This is where mighty Carthage once challenged Rome, where Roman mosaics and amphitheaters rival Italy's own, and where whitewashed medinas, Saharan oases, and Mediterranean beaches sit within easy reach of one another. Add couscous by the platterful, warm hospitality, and a starring role in the Arab Spring, and you have a country that punches far above its size.Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to Tunisia for just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions

Luxembourg is one of Europe's least likely little states — a tiny Grand Duchy wedged between France, Germany, and Belgium that punches absurdly above its weight. It's clean, green, multilingual, and eye-wateringly wealthy: a place of clifftop old towns, fairy-tale castles, subterranean fortresses, and surprisingly wild hiking country. Think of it as the jewelry box of Europe — beautiful, orderly, and, frankly, rather pricey. Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to Luxembourg just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions

Kenya is East Africa at its most iconic — the Africa of documentaries and daydreams. Endless golden savannah roamed by lions and elephants, snow-flecked peaks, a Swahili coast of dhows and carved doors, and a fast, modern capital where rhinos graze against a skyline. It's the cradle of humankind, a major continental hub, and one of the great safari destinations on Earth — a country that has a habit of feeling, almost immediately, like home.Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to Kenya just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions

The United Arab Emirates is where desert tradition collides, gloriously, with unrestrained ambition. In a few short decades, seven emirates have transformed from pearl-diving villages into one of the glitziest, most future-facing places on Earth. Yes, Dubai does the record-breaking skyscrapers and surreal excess — but there's far more here: Abu Dhabi's world-class museums, the palm-shaded oasis of Al Ain, and the wild mountain scenery of Ras Al Khaimah. Bring sunglasses, an open mind, and a very good deodorant.Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to the UAE for just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions

North Korea is the world’s most isolated country, and visiting it is one of travel’s most surreal experiences. Everything is controlled, curated and choreographed – and yet, within those constraints, there is genuine wonder to be found. The Mass Games alone are worth the trip: a spectacle of such audacious scale it defies belief. Beyond Pyongyang, ancient tombs and historic cities hint at a Korean cultural heritage that long predates the current regime. This is not a normal holiday. It is not meant to be.Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to Guatemala for just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions

Guatemala is the beating heart of the Maya world –  a small, mountainous Central American country where volcanoes loom over colonial towns, jungle swallows ancient pyramids, and market colour spills into every corner. It's a place people arrive at for a few days and leave a year later, seduced by Lake Atitlán's spiritual calm, Antigua's café culture, and some of the most spectacular archaeological sites on Earth. Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to Guatemala for just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions

The Gambia is Africa’s smallest mainland country: a slender ribbon of land wrapped around the river that gives it its name and almost entirely enclosed by Senegal. What it lacks in size it makes up for in warmth - both climatic and human. Known as the Smiling Coast of Africa, it offers golden Atlantic beaches, over 600 species of bird, a river teeming with life and a history both painful and profound. From Europe, there is no easier entry point into West Africa.Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to Gambia for just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions