Levison Wood is one of the world’s most well-known explorers, TV presenters and authors. Join him for a 5,000-mile journey through the heart of the Middle East, from the front lines of Iraq and Syria through the Empty Quarter desert to Yemen, the West Bank and beyond. 13 countries in five months, his most complicated and dangerous expedition yet.

Following in the footsteps of great explorers such as Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, we will pass through some of the most devastated and war-torn areas on the planet, but also some of the most fascinating and historic too. We will peel back our preconceptions and discover a hidden side to the Middle East, beyond the headlines and politics. This is the real Arabia, a mosaic of the best and worst of humanity, a quest to better understand the region and, perhaps, ourselves.

Highlights include:

• Hear how one totally random chance event changed his life and led him to become one of the world’s most famous explorers
• Hitchhiking to Baghdad during the Gulf war – hear the story of Levison’s first and craziest ever adventure as a young university student
• Follow him to the front line, as he embeds with Kurdish fighters in Iraq, liberating ISIS held cities
• Discover the Mesopotamian Marshes, the jewel of southern Iraq, where one of the most ancient cultures in the world is slowly rebuilding their lives
• Cross the Empty Quarter desert on foot, 10-days through one of the harshest environments on the planet
• Sneak into Yemen and cross over into Somalia by fishing boat, through the most pirate infested waters on Earth
• Explore Jerusalem, and the West Bank, joining a demonstration that turns into a riot

“This is a story of my own wanderings set against a backdrop of interesting times. I have tried to challenge the prevailing winds where possible and contest stereotypes, hopefully smashing a few myths along the way.”

• Levison Wood

FIND OUT MORE

Levison Wood is a British explorer, writer and photographer. He's written seven best-selling books, presented and produced some of the best travel and adventure documentaries out there, and done some quite simply incredible expeditions. Find out more at www.levisonwood.com

Instagram:@levison.wood / Facebook: @levisonwoodofficial / Twitter: @levisonwood

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CONNECT WITH US: If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring this content to you.

Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions. armchair-productions.com, armchair-explorer.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

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This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

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Witnessing the Northern Lights is one of the most awe-inspiring experiences on the planet, and in today’s interview episode we’re going to hear what it feels like to stand beneath them - a cascade of color raining down from the sky all around you.

In Norse mythology the Aurora were the armour of the Valkyries. The Inuit saw spirits playing in the sky. The Sami hid indoors in fear. And science has its own story too, because what we are really witnessing is the energy of the sun itself, travelling 93 million miles across space, and exploding into color in our atmosphere. We may now be able to explain them scientifically, but their effect on us is unchanged.

This is a story about the science of solar winds and magnetic fields, the mythology of ancient cultures who saw gods and fire in the sky, and the art of chasing something wild, unpredictable and utterly mesmerizing.

Taking us deeper into that experience is Tom Kerss, one of the world's leading Aurora experts. Tom's passion for the Aurora is infectious, his knowledge extraordinary, and his way of describing what you see in that sky inspiring and poetic.

FIND OUT MORE

Produced in collaboration with Lonely Planet: lonelyplanet.com

Tom Kerss is one of the world's leading Aurora experts and the onboard Aurora guide for expedition cruise company Hurtigruten. They run spectacular trips along the Norwegian coast, and if this episode inspires you to go and see the lights for yourself you can travel with Tom on one of their astronomy voyages. Find out more at hurtigruten.com.

Connect with Tom and find out more about his work at tomkerss.com, or follow him on Instagram at @tomkerss.

Note: a full adventure documentary episode going on a Northern Lights expedition cruise up the Norwegian coast is coming next month. Hit follow so you don't miss it!

SHARE THIS EPISODE

If this story lit something up in you, do me a favour and send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person you think needs a little wonder in their life right now. I'm trying to reach 1,000 new listeners this series, and every single share genuinely moves the needle. You'd be helping Tom's story reach someone who really needs to hear it. Leave a review or hit that share button in your podcast app

FOLLOW US:

Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast

Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast

CREDITS

Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing on this episode was by Jason Paton. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair-Productions.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

Voyascape Podcast Network

Today we are going to travel across all seven continents, through steaming craters and frozen summits, into the heart of the world's most active volcanoes. This is a story about chasing fire.

Ricardo Kaljouw is one of only a handful of people on Earth to have completed the Volcanic Seven Summits — climbing the highest volcano on every continent. From his first glimpse of Kilimanjaro rising above the Tanzanian savannah, to standing alone on the roof of Antarctica in minus 49 degree cold, Ricardo's story is one of extraordinary resilience, raw adventure, and the kind of fire that, once lit, simply cannot be put out.

Highlights of The Volcanic Seven Summits:

• Standing on the roof of Africa — and the sunrise that greeted Ricardo on the way down from Kilimanjaro that changed everything.
• Watching the largest lava lake in the world come alive at night on the slopes of Nyiragongo in Rwanda.
• Surviving a lightning storm at altitude on Iran's Mount Damavand.
• Getting lost in the jungle of Papua New Guinea with no food, a missing porter, and a village of locals who may have been hunting him.
• Being stranded alone on the highest volcano on earth, Ojos del Salado in Chile.
• That final, extraordinary moment on Mount Sidley in Antarctica — six years in the making, 17,000 kilometres from home.

FIND OUT MORE

Ricardo Kaljouw's book is called A Million Steps on Lava: Climbing the Highest Volcano on Each Continent. It's a gripping, inspiring read — and what makes it especially unique is that Ricardo started exactly where many of us are: dreaming of high peaks without any real experience of climbing them. It's a story that makes the extraordinary feel possible.

Follow Ricardo's ongoing expeditions on Instagram at @volcanicsevensummits and search up the book wherever books are sold.

SHARE THIS EPISODE

If this story lit something up in you, do me a favour — send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person you think needs a little fire in their life right now. Hit the share button in your podcast app, it takes about ten seconds. Or go Old School and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint! I'm trying to reach 1,000 new listeners this series, and every single share genuinely moves the needle. You'd be helping Ricardo's story reach someone who really needs to hear it.

FOLLOW US: Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast

CONNECT WITH US: If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring this content to you.

Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions.

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

Voyascape Podcast Network

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

The Black Hills are home to more than 100 known caves - including the world's third-longest cave system at Jewel Cave National Monument with it's miles of unmapped passageways, and the complex caves systems at Wind Cave National Park, which are not merely a geological wonder they also make up a sacred site for the Lakota people.

We join pioneer explorer Chris Pelczarski for some hands-on spelunking in seriously narrow caves (that are sometimes home to mountain lions). Then we meet indigenous park ranger Sina Bear Eagle and learn about the Lakota emergence story and its deep spiritual meaning.

-Brian Thacker, presenter

Thank you to everyone who featured in this episode:

• Chris Pelczarski and Adam Weaver from the Black Hills Cave and Nature Conservancy
• Sina Bear Eagle from Wind Cave National Park

Recorded on location, this audio adventure is designed to do more than just let you hear what it's like to be there. It's designed to let you feel what it's like for real.

Find out more at Travel South Dakota.com where you'll find lots of inspiration, ideas and everything else you need to know to plan your great South Dakota adventure.

CONNECT WITH US

Instagram: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠

Facebook: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠

⁠Armchair Explorer⁠ is produced by ⁠Armchair Productions⁠. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design.

Armchair Explorer is a part of the Voyascape Podcast Network check out their other shows from around the world at voyascape.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

Voyascape Podcast Network

Sometimes the wrong path is the best path. I was stumbling down the side of a steep mountain slope, pushing through thorny bushes, scratched, thirsty and utterly confused. But I was smiling. While on a week-long hike across the Ligurian hills in northwest Italy – I had become hopelessly lost.

But then something magical happened: I rounded a corner into a mountain meadow filled with dozens of wild horses - muscled stallions with jet black manes, gold skinned mares and tiny foals. Startled at first, they soon found themselves more curious than afraid and gradually came to graze by my side.

It took me half a day to find my way back again, but it was worth every cut and bruise. The best adventures always happen when you least expect it.

• Aaron Millar

In today’s episode, host Aaron Millar shares the story of one of his favorite long-distance hikes of all time.

The Old Salt Road is part of a network of ancient trading paths that crisscross northwest Italy. For over a thousand years mule herders, laden with precious salt from the ports of Liguria, would use this trail to trade with the rich plains of Lombardy, returning with goatskins of wine, salami and cheese.

The hike begins in the fertile wine-growing plains of Oltrepo Pavese - 50 miles north of Genoa – and then heads steadily south, crossing the Apennine Mountains, before dropping down 80 beautiful miles later to the small fishing village of Camogli on the Ligurian coast.

This is a story about a bucket list hike through one of the most beautiful places in Europe. But it’s also the story of how this old road was now nearly forgotten, and the trail that is bringing it back to life.

CONNECT WITH US

Ready to Explore? If you're into real stories of epic places told by the people who’ve lived them, make sure to subscribe so you won’t miss an episode of Series 4 of Armchair Explorer.

If you’re interested to find out more about how to do this hike for yourself drop Aaron a line on Instagram

Instagram: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠

Facebook: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠

⁠Armchair Explorer⁠ is produced by ⁠Armchair Productions⁠. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design.

Armchair Explorer is a part of the Voyascape Podcast Network check out their other shows from around the world at voyascape.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

Voyascape Podcast Network

"Humans are meant to excel. And when you start pushing that and seeing how capable we are, it's phenomenal what you can actually go and do."

-Justin Packshaw

When Justin Packshaw was trekking in Antarctica several years ago, he noticed something disturbing: The ice shelf had visibly melted since his previous visit, just a few decades prior. "In the grand scheme of how old our world is, and its present state, that's a really quite frightening thing," he said. And with that, he had an idea. Not all scientists have the time, resources, or, frankly, the stamina to conduct invaluable in-person research in the heart of Antarctica, which holds the record as the world's coldest, windiest, and driest continent. But Justin did.

He and his adventure partner, Jamie Facer-Childs, proposed a data-gathering mission to several universities: They would cross Antarctica's heart and gather critical scientific data about climate change. But other agencies were interested in the trip as well.

As it turns out, pushing the human body to its limits - physically, psychologically, mentally - is one of the key areas of research for space agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency. Justin and Jamie's expedition would collect critical data on behavior, coping abilities, teamwork, endurance, even eyesight, that would be invaluable for future space missions in which astronauts will live for years in a space no larger than a studio apartment.

This is a good, old-fashioned adventure romp - but it's more than that too. It's also a story about science, psychology, Mars, and climate change. It's about how we cope with the most extreme physical challenges imaginable and ultimately how that defines us as humans.

FIND JUSTIN

Learn more about Justin and his adventures at his website, JustinPackshaw.com, or follow him on Instagram @JustinPackshaw. Find more details about the Antarctica expedition at ChasingTheLight2021.com.

SOCIAL

Share the show with your friends! Subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening, follow @armchairexplorerpodcast on Instagram and Facebook, check out Armchair Explorer's website, armchair-explorer.com

CREDITS

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at armchair-productions.com. Jenny Allison wrote and produced this episode, along with host and producer Aaron Millar. Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Theme music written by the artist Sweet Chap.

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

Voyascape Podcast Network

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

Every Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer.

In this episode, we’ll be traveling from the craziest white water race in the world to the highest volcanoes on the planet, from ancient trade routes in Italy to the sacred storytelling landscapes of Australia and beyond.

If you like travel and adventure, come and hang out, we’re going to have some fun.

1. Climb the Seven Volcanic Summits Challenge, summiting the highest volcano on every continent.
2. Explore the fjords of Norway in search of the Northern Lights.
3. Hike across Italy’s Old Salt Road, an ancient trade route across the Apennine Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea.
4. Descend into Wind Cave, South Dakota, one of the longest cave systems on Earth, to hear the Lakota Emergence Story.
5. Take part in the River Nevis Race in Scotland — if Monty Python went white-water rafting, this would be it.

Ready to Explore? If you're into real stories of epic places told by the people who’ve lived them, make sure to subscribe so you won’t miss an episode of Series 4 of Armchair Explorer.

Instagram: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠

Facebook: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠

⁠Armchair Explorer⁠ is produced by ⁠Armchair Productions⁠. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design.

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

Voyascape Podcast Network

There’s a moment before every journey begins — that flicker of anticipation when the map is still folded, the road still unknown, and the world feels impossibly wide.

That’s where this new season of Armchair Explorer begins.

In the coming episodes we’ll travel from the highest volcanoes in the world to the Arctic Circle, from ancient trade routes in Italy to the sacred storytelling landscapes of Australia.

These are immersive journeys, told by the people who lived them and crafted with the cinematic sound design you’ve come to expect from the show.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s ahead.

1. Climb the Seven Volcanic Summits Challenge, summiting the highest volcano on every continent.
2. Listen to an Aboriginal storyteller share the living stories of Uluru — a place where landscape, culture, and time are inseparable.
3. Explore the fjords of Norway in search of the Northern Lights.
4. Hike across Italy’s Old Salt Road, an ancient trade route across the Apennine Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea.
5. Descend into Wind Cave, South Dakota, one of the longest cave systems on Earth, to hear the Lakota Emergence Story.
6. Road trip through Australia’s Northern Territory, where the highways stretch for hundreds of miles and the outback stories grow taller with every one.
7. Take part in the River Nevis Race in Scotland — if Monty Python went white-water rafting, this would be it.
8. Soar on a hot air balloon ride over the Saguaro Desert and a hike through the Petrified Forest of Arizona.

And lots more … These are stories of wild places, remarkable people, and the journeys that change how we see the world. So pack your headphones and join us for a new adventure every single week.

Follow the show so you don’t miss the first episode of the new season of Armchair Explorer!`

There are many beautiful countries in Africa, but none are like Namibia.

Today we will travel from the highest sand dunes in the world to the wildest coast on the planet. We will track the last free-roaming herd of rhinos on the continent, and watch desert elephants as we float above them in a hot air balloon.

But more than anything we will discover a sense of vastness and awe that is unmatched by almost anywhere else on Earth.

Taking us there is safari guide and author Peter Allison, who has been guiding in Namibia and elsewhere in Africa for nearly 30 years. He’ll tell us the story of his ultimate Namibia safari, traveling from the Sossusvlei Dunes to the Skeleton Coast. It’s an adventure filled with rare wildlife, inspiring people and more than one of his crazy stories.

Get ready for a journey into the heart of the remote, and enchanting land of Namibia.

Highlights include:

1. Taking a hot air balloon ride watching the sun rise over the Sossusvlei dunes
2. Tracking rare desert elephants and the last remaining free-roaming rhino in the world
3. Spending time with the Himba people of the Hoanib Valley
4. Exploring the Skeleton Coast, where the Atlantic ocean crashes against the Namib desert
5. Sleeping under the stars in one of the largest Dark Sky Reserves in the world
6. 
   

FIND OUT MORE

A lot of our episodes are about huge expeditions and epic adventures.This one is about something you can actually do.

We’ve partnered with Peter’s safari company Natural Selection Safaris, and tour operator Africa Endeavours - two of the most highly regarded sustainable operators on the continent - to create our dream Botswana itinerary. And it’s a trip you can actually book and do yourself.

To find out more go to AfricaEndeavours.com/Armchair and you will get $500 off your next trip. Even if you’re just dreaming about going one day, checking out what they do is a great way to support the show.

Follow Peter on Instagram @peterallisonsafari

FOLLOW US:

Instagram: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠Facebook: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠Newsletter: ⁠armchair-explorer.com⁠

CREDITS

Armchair Explorer is produced by ⁠Armchair Productions⁠. Aaron Millar wrote and presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠.

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

Voyascape Podcast Network

The Black Hills Powwow is the biggest powwow in the U.S., where dancers, singers, artists, and spectators come from across North America to honor the spirit and beauty of the Great Plains Indigenous culture. The powwow comes alive through handcrafted regalia and the spirited dancers who embody history.

Join us as we take in the sounds and stories from this enduring celebration that bridges generations and cultures. We meet Ruben Little Head who has been an MC at the Black Hills Powwow for 17 years, dancer and former Miss Oglala Lakota Nation winner Santana Young Man Afraid of his Horses and we get a private concert from singing and drumming group Showtime.

Thank you to everyone who featured in this episode:

- Ruben Little Head

- Santana Young Man Afraid of his Horses

- Showtime singers, Hunter Blasingame, Xavier Little Head and BJ Braveheart

Recorded on-location, this audio adventure is designed to do more than just let you hear what it’s like to be there; it’s designed to let you feel what it’s like for real.

Find out more at www.travelsouthdakota.com where you'll find lots of inspiration, ideas and everything else you need to know to plan your great South Dakota adventure.

Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Brian Thacker wrote and presented the show. Jason Paton did the field recording and audio production. Aaron Millar is the executive producer. www.armchair-productions.com

FOLLOW US:

Instagram: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠Facebook: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠Newsletter: ⁠armchair-explorer.com⁠

CREDITS

Armchair Explorer is produced by ⁠Armchair Productions⁠. Aaron Millar wrote and presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠.

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

Voyascape Podcast Network