Extreme Travel Odysseys

Katherine Alex Beaven didn't know she enjoyed traveling, until she did. Inspired by a trip to Southern Africa a decade ago, she's now making a career as a freelance travel writer. Alex discusses the places she's been like spending 30 days in the Maldives during Ramadan, and accidentally eating dog in China. She also has a lot of tips about the competitive business of travel writing. Alex has been all over, and also gives her thoughts about volunteer tourism, caged wild animals, and the single greatest act of kindness from a local.

What happens when runner's high meets mountain high? You get Russian-American adventure runner Michael Langer's most recent holiday. No longer able to play football, Michael took up running with a passion and he's now gone to several countries to fuel his new favorite sport. Just back from Morocco, he ran more than 100 miles over nine days over terrain inaccessible to vehicles, also scaling the tallest peak in Northern Africa along the way. These are true vacations, however, as most nights ended with a feast and some wine.

In 1986, in the heart of the Cold War, a young idealist named Michael Tisserand joined up with a group of more than one thousand people, including Martin Sheen and Madonna, in a walk across the United States. They were protesting nuclear proliferation and spent nine months marching from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. Although the walk was supported, it was nearly derailed in the desert of California only a few weeks into the odyssey. Hear how Michael and some brave marchers continued, and if he thinks he made a difference.

Paul Lombard was ready to return home after five years of teaching English in South Korea. But he wanted to cover the 9000+ miles at his own pace. Despite not being much of a cyclist at the time, he spent nine months pedaling through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. This episode reveals the fun, tribulations and logistics of how he fared on his epic journey!