Guyana is one of South America’s least familiar destinations, yet it offers something increasingly rare: immense wilderness, extraordinary wildlife and travel experiences still rooted in small communities rather than mass tourism.

Travel writer Becca Marsh joins Daniel to share what she discovered during six weeks travelling across Guyana while updating the fourth edition of the Bradt Guide to Guyana.

From the thundering waters of Kaieteur Falls to the remote eco-lodges and wildlife-rich savannahs of the Rupununi, Becca takes us inside a country where journeys are part of the adventure. She recalls searching for jaguars, catching red-bellied piranhas, learning from Indigenous communities and discovering the unexpected flavours of Guyanese cuisine.

In this episode:

• Why Kaieteur Falls is one of the world’s great wilderness spectacles

• What it is like to travel through Guyana’s remote interior

• Community-owned eco-lodges and Indigenous-led tourism

• Encounters with giant river otters, caimans, piranhas and elusive jaguars

• The realities of Guyana’s roads, rivers and light-aircraft journeys

• Georgetown and Guyana’s remarkable mix of cultures

• Coconut choka, cassava and the dishes visitors should try

• Why Guyana rewards travellers who are curious, flexible and willing to slow down

This is an episode for wildlife lovers, adventurous travellers and anyone searching for a destination that still feels genuinely undiscovered.

ABOUT BECCA MARSH

Becca Marsh is a travel writer, editor and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Her work has taken her around the world, including an overland journey from London to Bangkok as part of the Global Convoy community.

She spent six weeks travelling around Guyana to update the fourth edition of the Bradt Guide to Guyana.

FIND OUT MORE

Becca’s website:

https://www.beccamarsh.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/beccamarsh_/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/becca-marsh-frgs

Bradt’s Guyana guide:

https://www.bradtguides.com/destinations/central-south-america/guyana/

Global Convoy:

https://www.globalconvoy.com/our-story

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/globalconvoy/

LISTEN AND FOLLOW

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French Waterways CEO Rosie Mansfield reveals how luxury hotel barges turn France's canals into intimate journeys through villages, vineyards and regional food.

What if the best way to see France is not from a large river ship, but from a luxury hotel barge travelling slowly through its canals, vineyards and villages?

In this episode of Destination Unlocked, Daniel Edward is joined by Rosie Mansfield, Chief Executive of French Waterways, to explore the intimate world of luxury barge cruising in France.

These elegant vessels may carry as few as two guests, with a private chef, dedicated crew and carefully planned excursions. Their low profile allows them to pass beneath small bridges and travel through waterways that larger river ships cannot reach.

Rosie takes us aboard Grand Victoria for her first barge cruise through Burgundy. From Champagne on arrival and four-course dinners to visits to the Hospices de Beaune, Clos de Vougeot and the vineyards of Romanée-Conti, she reveals what life aboard a luxury hotel barge is really like.

You’ll discover:

• The difference between a hotel barge and a conventional river cruise

• What a typical day aboard a luxury barge looks like

• How guests can walk or cycle beside the barge along the towpath

• Why the small-group experience changes both the cruising and the excursions

• How private chefs use ingredients and wines from the regions visited

• The best French waterways and regions for a barge holiday

• How to choose the right vessel, itinerary and crew

• Why Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, Alsace and the Canal du Midi offer very different experiences

Rosie also explains how French Waterways matches travellers with more than 55 hotel barges across France. Cabin size, accessibility, bicycles, family requirements, food, wine and special interests can all help determine which barge and region will suit you best.

For travellers attracted to excellent food, personal service and a gentler way of exploring France, luxury barge cruising offers something genuinely distinctive.

ABOUT ROSIE MANSFIELD

Rosie Mansfield is Chief Executive of French Waterways, an independent specialist in hotel-barge cruises, river cruises and self-drive boating holidays across France. She travels extensively on the waterways, visits vessels and meets their owners and crews, giving her first-hand knowledge of the experiences she recommends.

USEFUL LINKS

French Waterways: https://www.french-waterways.com/

Meet Rosie Mansfield: https://www.french-waterways.com/about-fw/rosie-mansfield/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frenchwaterways/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/french-waterways-com

Explore France with Destination Unlocked: https://destinationunlocked.com/destinations/

ABOUT DESTINATION UNLOCKED

Destination Unlocked is the travel podcast that is as useful as a guidebook and as easy as a chat with a friend. Each episode brings you practical advice, local expertise and the stories that help you get more from your travels.

Presented by Daniel Edward.

Follow Destination Unlocked and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Sicily is more than turquoise water, baroque towns and scenes from The White Lotus. Travel creator Danielle Nemesio joins Daniel to reveal the island beneath the postcard, from Palermo’s exuberant markets and Mount Etna’s volcanic vineyards to family rituals, fierce hospitality and the realities of making a life in Sicily.

In this episode of Destination Unlocked, Danielle takes us beneath Sicily’s polished surface. She explains why Palermo is the best place to begin, why trying to conquer the Mediterranean’s largest island in five days is a terrible idea, and why June, September and October are usually kinder than the blistering peak of summer.

https://www.destinationunlocked.com

We travel from the street-food markets of Ballarò and Vucciria to the pistachio town of Bronte, the black volcanic landscape of Mount Etna and the dazzling white cliffs of the Scala dei Turchi. Danielle also makes a persuasive case for Sicily having the finest food in Italy, with caponata, pasta alla Norma, freshly filled cannoli, sarde a beccafico and the considerably more adventurous stigghiola all entering the conversation.

There is plenty of practical advice too. Danielle explains the importance of learning a little Italian, the local approach to tipping, what Sicily’s famous one-euro houses really involve and why an agriturismo or vineyard stay can offer a richer experience of the island. She also shares the romantic story of meeting her Sicilian husband while they were both working at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT, a meeting that eventually led to what she calls her ‘reverse American dream’.

Most importantly, this is a conversation about what Sicily feels like from the inside: a place where life moves piano piano, community comes first and saying goodbye can take an hour because there is always another kiss, hug or conversation before you finally reach the car.

In this episode

• Why Palermo makes a compelling starting point for a first visit
• How much of Sicily you can realistically see in one trip
• The best months to visit and why August can be difficult
• Mount Etna, Bronte pistachios and the Scala dei Turchi
• What to eat in Palermo’s markets and how to spot a properly filled cannolo
• The truth behind Sicily’s one-euro house schemes
• Italian phrases, tipping habits and the long Sicilian goodbye
• How moving abroad changed Danielle’s relationship with work, identity and community

Travel journalist Richard Collett joins Daniel Edward to explore Devon and Cornwall through coast, food, tourism, regional identity and Britain’s internal borders.

https://www.destinationunlocked.com

Devon and Cornwall share England’s far south-west, but cross the River Tamar and the differences quickly become more than a line on the map.

Travel journalist Richard Collett joins Daniel Edward to explore two counties connected by coast, food and family holidays, yet separated by distinct histories and identities. Richard lives in Exmouth and opens his new book, Along the Borders: In Search of What Divides and Unites Us, in Cornwall.

Together, Daniel and Richard follow the South West Coast Path, compare Cornwall’s powerful international identity with Devon’s quieter character, and ask how visitors can enjoy the region without simply joining the summer crush in its best-known hotspots.

There is also a proper hearing for cream first versus jam first, alongside pasties, harbour seafood, St Ives, Dartmoor and the question at the heart of Richard’s book: why do identities often become strongest at the edges?

Tenerife is one of Europe’s great winter-sun escapes - but if your entire experience is limited to a pool, a buffet and a strip of imported bars, you may return home without really meeting the island at all.

In this episode, Daniel Edward is joined by writer John Reid, whose family connections with Tenerife stretch back generations. John spent many years showing visitors around the island as a private guide. Now retired from guiding, he continues to bring Tenerife’s history and characters to life through the books he publishes as John Reid Young.

More here: https://www.destinationunlocked.com

Together, Daniel and John leave the resort strip behind to discover an island that behaves like a miniature continent. The dry, sun-soaked south gives way to vineyards, banana plantations and greener landscapes in the north. Above them both rise the volcanic formations of Teide National Park, while the Anaga Mountains conceal laurel forest, deep ravines and rural hamlets.

John also introduces Tenerife’s guachinches, volcanic wines and hearty local dishes, and explains how the island’s history connects British travellers, Atlantic trade and Nelson’s failed attack on Santa Cruz.

Alaska is so vast that even a 300-mile railway journey covers only a fraction of it. To experience more of the Last Frontier, rail guide Derek Mooneyham recommends combining the glaciers and coastal communities of an Alaska cruise with a journey inland to Anchorage, Talkeetna and Denali National Park.

Derek joins Daniel to explain what makes Alaska unlike anywhere else in the United States. Their journey begins in Juneau, the isolated state capital accessible only by air or water, before following the coast towards Whittier and the railway into Alaska’s immense interior.

Derek takes guests between the cruise ships and Denali aboard Holland America Princess’s glass-domed railcars. With panoramic views upstairs, a dining room below and open-air platforms along the train, the journey is designed to make the scenery part of the experience. Derek adds his own stories, poems, music and props - and occasionally turns a passing encounter between two trains into a playful window-sign rivalry and dance party.

The route follows Turnagain Arm and continues through mountain landscapes, braided rivers and vast stretches of wilderness. Derek explains why he prefers beginning with the land portion of a holiday before travelling south to join the ship, and what visitors can expect from the lodges near Denali National Park.

The conversation also explores some of Alaska’s essential experiences. Derek shares practical advice for spotting wildlife in Denali, visiting the Anchorage Museum and exploring Talkeetna. His ultimate recommendation is a flightseeing tour from Talkeetna, soaring past glaciers and enormous mountain peaks before landing on a glacier beneath Denali.

Along the way, Daniel and Derek discuss the construction of the Alaska Railroad, Alaska Native culture, the state’s Russian history and the food visitors should seek out - including fresh salmon and halibut fish and chips.

Derek’s most important planning tip is simple: check exactly how long your ship will spend in each port before booking. A call at Juneau may look impressive on the itinerary, but a short afternoon visit can leave little time for the experiences you had hoped to fit in.

From the waterways of Southeast Alaska to the slopes of North America’s highest mountain, this episode reveals a destination where the journey is every bit as memorable as the arrival.

Lagos is loud, crowded and relentlessly energetic - but Vanessa Jev believes first-time visitors soon learn to move with it. In this episode, the director of the Lagos International Theatre Festival joins Daniel to explore the food, neighbourhoods and creative communities of her adopted home.

For More: https://www.destinationunlocked.com

Vanessa explains why Victoria Island and Lekki are convenient bases for visitors, how traffic can shape an entire day and why app-based taxis are generally the simplest way to travel. She also shares the best time to experience Lagos at full throttle: November and December, when the city’s calendar fills with theatre, film, fashion, concerts and festivals.

The conversation takes in the Lekki Arts and Crafts Market, Nike Art Gallery, the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History and Terra Kulture - the arts centre that first persuaded Vanessa to exchange Canada for Lagos. There are suggestions for exploring beyond the principal visitor districts too, from the New Afrika Shrine on the mainland to the beaches and resorts stretching east along the Lekki Peninsula.

Food is never far away. Vanessa introduces Daniel to suya served hot from the evening grill, small chops packed with puff-puff, samosas and spring rolls, fresh palm wine, àmàlà and the unmistakably Nigerian combination of suya and a cold Chapman.

Theatre provides the episode’s inside view of Lagos. Vanessa describes audiences who talk back to performers, actors who respond without missing a beat and productions that use humour to approach dating, sex, tradition and the pressures of everyday Nigerian life. She also reveals what goes into transforming the MUSON Centre into a festival ground filled with simultaneous performances, workshops, food, music and family entertainment.

In the quick-fire round, discover Vanessa’s favourite Lagos experience, the tourist overcharging trap to avoid, the film and book to enjoy before travelling, and why a miniature yellow danfo bus makes the perfect souvenir.

The Lagos International Theatre Festival runs in November. Find details and forthcoming programme announcements on the official festival website.

Croatia’s Adriatic coast may look made for effortless island-hopping, but choosing the right route can transform the trip. Travel writer Mary Novakovich joins Daniel to unlock the islands, ferry hubs, food and local customs of coastal Croatia, drawing on decades of travel and her own family ties to the country.

Check our website for more >> https://www.destinationunlocked.com

Mary begins in the Kvarner Gulf, where Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Rab each offer a different character, before travelling south through Zadar, the Kornati archipelago and Šibenik towards the better-known islands of Dalmatia. Along the way, she makes a case for looking beyond the headline stops: staying longer on Mljet, exploring Stari Grad and Jelsa as well as Hvar Town, or taking a simple foot ferry to the car-free islands of Zlarin and Prvić. From quiet pebble beaches to busy ferry ports, the episode is both a route-planning guide and a portrait of a coastline whose appeal lies in its variety, layered history and remarkable sense of local character.

For independent travellers, there is practical advice on the choices that shape an island-hopping itinerary. Passenger catamarans are fast but cannot take cars; car ferries offer more freedom once ashore but serve fewer routes. In high season, Mary recommends booking ahead and often using Split as a hub, even when that means returning to the mainland between islands. She also explains why a small-ship cruise can work well, particularly for reaching secluded coves, swimming spots and hiking routes.

The conversation also moves inland to Lika, where Mary’s parents were born and where she spent an unforgettable childhood summer in 1976. She discusses her award-winning book, My Family and Other Enemies: Life and Travels in Croatia’s Hinterland, which combines memoir, family history and travel writing to explore a region deeply affected by the Second World War, the break-up of Yugoslavia and the Croatian War of Independence.

Food is never far away: grilled fish with blitva, slow-cooked peka, Kvarner scampi, Dubrovnik’s šporki makaruli, Istrian truffles and waterfront fish festivals all make an appearance. Mary also tackles rising prices, overtourism, beach etiquette and imported tipping culture, while explaining how to experience Dubrovnik without spending the entire stay inside its crowded Old Town.

Finally, Mary shares her quick-fire essentials: swim in the Adriatic, pack water shoes, visit in September, try rakija and bring home a bottle of Croatian olive oil. She also nominates one heavily promoted attraction that she would happily skip: Biševo’s Blue Cave.

Travel journalist Kaye Holland joins Daniel Edward on Destination Unlocked to recap her inaugural sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world (up to 7,600 passengers).

They discuss how the ship is designed as a “destination” with eight neighbourhoods, including the plant-filled Central Park, plus multiple pools and an adults-only hideaway to spread crowds out.

Kaye highlights high-energy entertainment - especially the Aqua Show “Shockwave,” the ice venue Absolute Zero, and the main-theatre production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with rotating child actors - and stresses booking shows early via the app.

Food standouts include the Windjammer buffet, the main dining room’s off-menu options, and buzzworthy extra-cost venues like Royal Railway and the Hollywood Supper Club.

They also cover cabins, add-on costs (Wi‑Fi, drinks packages, paid activities), and souvenirs like Legend caps and Skipper the dog merchandise.

https://www.destinationunlocked.com

https://www.destinationunlocked.com/episode/legend-of-the-seas

https://www.destinationunlocked.com/guests/kaye-holland

Specialist travel agent Sandra Potter (Frontier Travel) joins Daniel to take a whistlestop tour of her favourite destinations in the United States of America, to celebrate the country's 250th Independence Day.

https://www.destinationunlocked.com