Places I Remember with Lea Lane

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Paul Melhus CEO of Tours By Locals, started his  company to make a difference to both tourists and guides.

We start by talking of regenerative travel, and what it is. Paul tells us about how his company, follows this new trend for responsible, sustainable travel, and how it started at the Great Wall of China.  We then talk of over-traveled areas, under-traveled areas, slow travel, off-season, and  "flying less, staying longer."

We discuss national parks, eco-friendly ways of getting around, and travel trends for 2022.

The discussion ends with Paul's travel stories, including the strangest drink ever in the Yukon, swimming in the Arctic Ocean, visiting Druid sites in the Scottish Highlands, and a return to Rome.

Paul ends this varied episode with his favorite memory of all, about a surprising result from a dinner in Argentina.
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 Paul Melhus,  CEO and co-founder of ToursByLocals, with offices on 4 continents, served over 1.5 million travelers, and currently provides meaningful work opportunities to 4,700 local guides around the world. Paul is Canadian and travel has been a constant in his life, whether he’s cold water swimming in the Arctic Ocean, or learning to speak Spanish in Buenos Aires.
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this award-winning travel podcast!

And exciting news! Starting in  2022 -- we'll be dropping podcasts bi-weekly, on Tuesdays, and we'll be on YouTube every other week, starting mid- February, with travel clips/tips/trips.

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Heidi Sarna is co-founder with Ted Scull of quirkycruise.com. She focuses on small ship cruises of under 300 people -- on lakes, rivers, and oceans around the world. We discuss all aspects of small vessels, and by the end of the episode you'll get an idea if this special, more intimate kind of cruising is for you.

Heidi tells why she started quirkycruise.com. She defines "small ship," which is a relative term. She goes on to explain the pluses and minuses of small-ship cruising, and  discusses itineraries, amenities and itineraries from sailing ships to expedition ships, around the world.

And as on all episodes of Places I Remember, she ends with a favorite memory.
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Heidi Sarna, co-founder of quirkycruise.com and author of Secret Singapore, is an expat living with her family on that island-nation for 15 years. She writes, takes photos, and has been on over 150 cruises.
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this award-winning travel podcast!

And exciting news! Starting in 2022 -- we'll be dropping podcasts bi-weekly, on Tuesdays, and on YouTube video every other week!

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Winter can be cold, and Lea prefers warmth, but the lights, markets, and festivals of the winter months create warm, beautiful (sometimes weird) experiences, terrific travel opportunities to understand the variety of customs and cultures around the world.

Lea reflects on pleasures of winter. She talks of lights and fireworks and remembers festivities in places she has lived, including Miami, Paris and London. Christmas markets are described in Vienna, Prague, Strasbourg, Basel, Krakow, Talinn, Colmar, Heidelberg, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Birmingham, and Florence.

And then there are the festivals around the world: some grand with snow sculptures and costumed pageants; and some wacky fun, with food fights, ending with the weirdest of all -- the cussing festival and the naked man festival in Japan.

If you like hearing about these winter customs and festivals, check out others throughout the seasons, in Episodes 8 (spring), 19 (summer) and 31 (fall).

Wherever in the world you celebrate, Happy Holidays and Happy Travels in the new year!
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Lea Lane is host of the award-winning travel podcast Places I Remember with Lea Lane. She blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books including the award-winning Places I Remember: Tales, Truths, Delights from 100 Countries.  She has written over a thousand articles and contributed to dozens of guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta;  PlacesIRememberLeaLane on LinkedIn. Her Facebook travel page is Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Her website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this travel podcast!

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Deeanne Burch is a deceptively gentle woman, but super strong when she needs to be. In her travel memoir, Journey Through Fire and Ice: Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle she recounts life in a remote Inuit village. She tells it like it is -- and it gets scary. But she prevails.

We begin with her comfortable early life in Canada centering on Toronto and the lake nearby, and memories of her storybook honeymoon in Europe with Tiger, her new husband who is doing a study of an isolated fishing village on an island in northern Alaska.

Deeanne talks of the primitive setting, customs, socialization, and challenging chores like drying fish and cutting blubber.  And she has trouble eating foods like raw seal liver.

There are moments of beauty, but a disastrous ice camping excursion is followed by an even more devastating experience a few days later with an oil lantern -- which results in a frightening outcome, and having to leave.

She and Tiger eventually return to finish the study, but both have changed, and learned. Deanne's story brings up  questions about society, resilience and reality. And she ends our conversation with an interesting memory.
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 Deanne Burch writes children's books and is a photographer. Visit www.Deanneburch.com, or follow her on Facebook at @DeanneBurchAuthor. Journey Through Fire and Ice: Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle  is available from Amazon.com .
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks.  She's @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this weekly travel podcast!

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What's it like to live in Beverly Hills? Julie Wagner, CEO of The Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau gives us the inside scoop -- not just the stars' homes and Rodeo Drive, but  the arts, green space, and surprises of this glam Southern California destination.

We start with what makes Beverly Hills, so magical, including a discussion of its history and geography.

We talk of celebs, their homes, films set in BH, and the whole starry scene, and continue on to what not to miss.

The Annenberg Performing Arts Center and the many venues for visual arts and public arts are an important part of the scene.

The classic Beverly Hills Hotel, with its Polo Lounge; and the Beverly Wilshire, setting for the movie, "Pretty Woman," are only a few of the luxury lodgings.

And then there are the eateries -- not just famous ones like Spago, with its stunning new outdoor area, but fun ones the cupcake ATM at Sprinkles.

Of course we talk boutique shopping, and we even get to the less expensive options. Green spaces and parks are open to all, and we learn there are more trees than people in BH.

Julie ends with her special memory, going way back to when she was a little girl in magical Beverly Hills.
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As CEO, Julie Wagner leads the Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau
(BHCVB) . For a complete list of activities in Beverly Hills, visit lovebeverlyhills.com.
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this weekly travel podcast!

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Donna Sandstrom is passionate about whales. She is founder of The Whale Trail, and author of Orca Rescue! The True Story of an Orphaned Orca Named Springer.  She and Lea share a fascinating discussion of whales, and other cetaceans, including orcas and porpoises. And also, best places to see them around the world.

After talking about The Whale Trail, we talk of what makes whales so fascinating, including size and age. Whales are the kings of our "Water Planet." We talk of the social bonds of cetaceans, and whales sounds.

Whales cannot be captured, but orcas (really a type of porpoise) can be, and we talk of using the animals for entertainment. We discuss types of whales including humpbacks, gray whales, sperm whales and fin whales. And we recall personal experiences of seeing whales in Antarctica, and endangered North Atlantic right whales off the eastern Canada coast, And blue whales  -- the largest mammals to ever live -- in the Sea of Cortez.

We discuss land-based whale watching and how to best spot whales. And places to see whales  around the world, including South Africa, Monterey Bay in CA, east coast U.S. areas, the Azores off the coast of Africa, New Zealand, Iceland and Antarctica.

And finally, Donna gives her favorite memory of Springer, the orphaned orca.
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Donna Sandstrom is passionate about whales. She is founder of The Whale Trail, and author of Orca Rescue! The True Story of an Orphaned Orca Named Springer.
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this weekly travel podcast!

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Heidi Sarna, author of Secret Singapore, is an expat living with her family on that island-nation for 15 years. Lea introduces facts about Singapore, and then Heidi tells its secrets, including seawalls, shophouses,  rail lines, mansions and shrines.

We talk cruising and of exceptional Changi airport with its offerings, and 'Gardens By The Bay.' We discuss if safety in Singapore-- including fines for jaywalking, chewing gum -- is too much.

Singapore's multi-national cuisine is renowned, and we speak of favorite foods, often served at communal Hawker Centers. 

You can get a good overview of Singapore from the huge ferris wheel, but an even better one from a rooftop locals know about. We talk of nightlife, shopping, historic neighborhoods, and architecture. Also the famed Hotel Raffles -- the lore and the reality.

Heidi ends our surprising tour with her favorite Singapore  memory.
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Heidi Sarna, author of Secret Singapore, is an expat living with her family on that island-nation for 15 years. She writes, takes photos and has been on over 150 cruises.
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this weekly travel podcast!

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Jean Chatzky knows how to save you money. A frequent guest on Oprah's show, a columnist for AARP, and 'Today'  financial expert at NBC for 25 years, she's helped millions make the most of their budget. And that applies to traveling, as well. Jean offers us tips and then gets personal about some of her favorite travels, from childhood to now.

We start the episode with how Lea and Jean met, years ago.  Then travel budgeting, Jean's early travel memories, and travel tips for saving money.

We talk of the slow-travel movement, airlines and airports, and free (or almost free) travel ideas.

The final part of the podcast focuses on economical travel destinations, trips that Jean and Lea remember to Greece and Israel, and Jean's special travel memory that resonates until today.
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Jean Chatzky is the founder and CEO of HerMoney.com and FinanceFixx. She is the host of the podcast HerMoney With Jean Chatzky. The financial editor of NBC Today for 25 years and the Financial Ambassador for AARP, she appears frequently on CNN, MSNBC and was a recurring guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. Her latest book is Women with Money: The Judgment-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve. An in-demand motivational speaker and fierce advocate for financial literacy, in 2015, she partnered with the PwC Charitable Foundation and Time for Kids to launch Your $, an in-school magazine that reaches 2 million school children each month. More at JeanChatzky.com and @JeanChatzky.
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this weekly travel podcast!

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David Downie lives on the Italian Riviera -- the Ligurian Coast -- the area of Genoa, Cinque Terre, Rapallo, Portofino and other appealing towns. And lucky for us, he writes about them, both non-fiction and fiction. His latest thriller, Red Riviera, is set in and around Rapallo, and offers excitement and thrills as well as a gorgeous setting.
We talk of why David moved to this area of Italy, and compare the beauty and pleasures of the Ligurian Coastline to the Amalfi Coast.
We discuss history of the area, transportation, and the joys of the main city of the region, Genoa.
We then go on to discuss the beauty spots of Cinque Terre, Rapallo, and Portofino.
We end with a discussion of David's thriller,  and the sequel, coming out next year, and set in Rome.
And David gives us his favorite  memory of the Ligurian Coast.
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Born in San Francisco, David Downie is a multilingual Paris-Liguria based American nonfiction author, crime novelist and journalist who writes most often about culture, food and travel. Order Red Riviera from your local indie bookstore online (or in person) or from Amazon (if you must):

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781942892267; https://www.bookpassage.com/book/9781942892267; https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781942892267; https://www.amazon.com/Red-Riviera-Daria-Investigation-Investigations/dp/1942892268

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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; Travelea on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this weekly travel podcast!

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Patrice Henry, with The Korea Tourism Organization, shares her travel experiences and memories of Korea with Lea.

They talk a bit about the geography and history of the Korean peninsula, and then go on to the wonders of Seoul and of the areas outside the capital, including Busan and several of the islands, including national parks.

We go on to discuss the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, and then the delights of Korean food, lodging and customs.

The episode ends with special memories of Korea from both Lea and Patrice.
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 Patrice Henry is marketing manager, Korea Tourism Organization New York Office.
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter; Travelea on Insta; on  Facebook, it's Places I Remember by Lea Lane. Website: placesirememberlealane.com.  Please follow, rate and review this weekly travel podcast!