The Better Travel Podcast

This week, we hear from a big player in the travel industry that’s serious about sustainability. Zina Bencheick is Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa of Intrepid Travel, a global tour operator that took more than 460,000 people on trips in 2019. Intrepid is also the world’s largest travel company to have earned B Corp certification, a rigorous standard that measures companies’ social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

Zina joins the show to talk about misconceptions around the term “sustainable travel,” the importance of vaccine equity, and what travel companies can do to reduce their carbon emissions. She also shares how tourism has opened up new job opportunities for women in her home country of Morocco.

Are you looking to plan a trip for next year? What issues are you thinking about, or what questions would you have for a tour operator? I’d love to hear your thoughts and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message.

Thanks so much for listening, and have a great week!

Resources

Intrepid Travel on being a responsible traveler and a responsible business

What is B Corp certification?

Follow Zina on Twitter

Paige’s Q&A with Rick Steves in The New York Times (unlocked article)

This week, we’re talking to Sarika Bansal, the new editorial director of AFAR Media and the editor of a beautiful book of essays about ethical travel. Sarika talks to us about decolonizing the travel industry and the importance of genuine cultural exchange, and she describes her vision for AFAR and the new directions she wants to take the magazine.

Sarika also tells us about how she and her husband decided to leave the United States and make a big move overseas, and how they’re enjoying life in their new home.

Plus, next week’s guest joins the podcast briefly to teach Paige a few phrases of Arabic…

And finally, we’re planning our episodes for Season 2 and I would love to hear what you would like us to cover. So I hope you’ll take a minute to send me a voice message with any questions you’d like me to explore or guests you think I should interview. Thank you so much!

Resources

Sarika’s book, Tread Brightly: Notes on Ethical Travel

AFAR Media 

AFAR’s Travel Tales podcast, and the episode about tourism in a Māori village

Sarika’s essay in The New Humanitarian, As travel opens up again, aid voluntourism needs to get real

Before the pandemic, travel and tourism accounted for more than 13% of all jobs in New Zealand. (Globally, the figure was 1 in 10.) A lot of those people are still out of work.

In this episode, Paige speaks to Matt Stenton, the programme director of Go With Tourism, which is working to build New Zealand’s tourism workforce. Matt describes what life in New Zealand has been like during the pandemic, and he talks about the crisis facing the country’s tourism industry as it gets ready to welcome foreign tourists again. He also offers his prediction as to when vaccinated tourists from places like the United States and Europe will be able to get back into the country.

Plus, listen up for the latest in our language series, in which Paige gets a lesson in Hindi that will forever transform her yoga experience.

Have you worked in the travel and tourism industry? What was that like — and would you do it again? Or are you planning to travel to New Zealand after the country opens up to foreign visitors? I’d love to hear what you’re thinking and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message.

Thank you so much for listening!

Resources:

New Zealand’s Go With Tourism program

The latest government rules on travel to New Zealand

Facts and figures on New Zealand’s tourism industry

When Dominique Callimanopulos founded her sustainability-minded travel company in 2005, a lot of people in the industry didn’t understand what she was doing. Now, she says, other companies are catching up — but they all still have a long way to go.

In this episode, Dominique joins the podcast to talk about family travel, de-colonizing the travel industry, and how travelers can effectively give back to the communities they visit.

Plus, Paige learns a new Danish phrase that she thinks should be adopted worldwide…

Have you been trying to travel in a more thoughtful or sustainable way — either on your own or with your family? If so, how did that go? What challenges did you encounter? What questions do you have? I’d love to hear about your experience and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message.

Thank you so much for listening!

Resources

Elevate Destinations website

Elevate’s family trips

Elevate’s “give-back” trips

Paige’s New York Times article with the hair dryer quote

Hawaii had a record-breaking number of visitors in 2019, and now the Islands are thinking about how they want to manage tourism in the years ahead.

John De Fries is the President and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and he’s the first Native Hawaiian to hold the position. John joins the podcast to talk about what it was like growing up in Waikiki in the 1950s, what was so hard about the summer of 2021, and what he wants all visitors to the Islands to think about before they arrive.

Also, listen up for a special bonus segment in which Paige embarrasses herself while trying to learn a foreign phrase…

Have you been to Hawaii recently? What was it like? Or if you live in Hawaii, how do you feel about tourism in the state? I’d love to hear about your experience and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message.

Thank you so much for listening!

Resources

Hawaii Tourism Authority website

Links to Hawaii’s Destination Management Plans

Honolulu Star-Advertiser article, “Native Hawaiian leaders call new Oahu tourism plan ‘step in the right direction,’ but execution is key”

This week, Andrew Alexander King joins the podcast to talk about mountaineering, volunteering abroad and how he’s using his travels as a force for good in the world.

Andrew is an African-American explorer who started The Between Worlds Project as a way to provide support and media exposure to individuals, non-profits, and communities around the world that are battling sexism, racism, climate change, and economic barriers.

Andrew has climbed more than 50 mountains around the world, and he is aiming to be the first African-American to climb the highest mountain and highest volcano on each continent.

In this episode, you’ll hear Andrew talk about volunteering abroad, and how we can all go beyond “hashtag activism” and actually make a difference with our travels. And listen up toward the end of the interview, when Andrew tells us about a really important expedition that hasn’t gotten the attention — or the funding — that it deserves.

Have you been trying to make a difference with your travel? If so, how is that going for you? What challenges have you encountered? What questions do you have? I’d love to hear about your experience and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message.

Thank you so much for listening!

Resources

The Between Worlds Project

Andrew’s Instagram

Full Circle Expedition’s GoFundMe page

This week, Andrew Alexander King joins the podcast to talk about mountaineering, volunteering abroad and how he’s using his travels as a force for good in the world.

Andrew is an African-American explorer who started The Between Worlds Project as a way to provide support and media exposure to individuals, non-profits, and communities around the world that are battling sexism, racism, climate change, and economic barriers.

Andrew has climbed more than 50 mountains around the world, and he is aiming to be the first African-American to climb the highest mountain and highest volcano on each continent.

In this episode, you’ll hear Andrew talk about volunteering abroad, and how we can all go beyond “hashtag activism” and actually make a difference with our travels. And listen up toward the end of the interview, when Andrew tells us about a really important expedition that hasn’t gotten the attention — or the funding — that it deserves.

Have you been trying to make a difference with your travel? If so, how is that going for you? What challenges have you encountered? What questions do you have? I’d love to hear about your experience and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message. 

Thank you so much for listening! 

Resources

The Between Worlds Project

Andrew’s Instagram

Full Circle Expedition’s GoFundMe page

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What do we really mean when we talk about “responsible travel” or “sustainable travel”? Justin Francis, the founder and chief executive of a company called Responsible Travel, dives into these terms and explains how travel can affect the environment and communities around the world — for better and for worse.

You’ll hear Justin’s thoughts on why it’s so important for travel companies to lead by example, and why he is optimistic about the future of travel. Plus, listen up for Justin’s advice on the three things that we all need to start paying attention to when we plan our trips.

Have you been trying to embrace sustainable travel? If so, how is that going for you? What challenges have you encountered? What questions do you have? I’d love to hear about your experience and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message. 

Thank you so much for listening! 

Resources

Justin’s travel company, Responsible Travel

23-minute documentary film “Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism”

A detailed explanation of how Responsible Travel screens the trips they sell

Justin’s full bio

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Have you ever found yourself wondering how you can get past the stereotypes of a city you’re visiting and have a genuine experience of the place? 

Journalist, author and podcast host Lindsey Tramuta has been living in Paris since 2006, and she joins the podcast to help us appreciate the many sides of one of the world’s most romanticized cities. Listen up for her thoughts on why it’s so important to look past the “single story” of a place; her advice for great walking tours you can do on your next trip to the French capital; and what she really thinks of the hit Netflix show “Emily in Paris.”

Have you managed to get below the surface of a place on your travels? Or did you find anything unexpected or off-the-tourist track on your last trip to Paris? I’d love to hear about your experience and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message.

Thank you so much for listening! 

Resources: 

Lindsey’s podcast, The New Paris

Lindsey’s Instagram

Lindsey’s first book, The New Paris

Lindsey’s second book, The New Parisienne

Lindsey’s website

Chimamanda Adichie 2009 TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story”

Lindsey’s New York Times article about Paris walking tours

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We love to travel, and we want to make sure that our travels have a positive impact on the world. The Better Travel Podcast dives into fascinating and complex topics when it comes to travel -- and it’s all with the aim of helping you become a smarter, better traveler.  

Hosted by Paige McClanahan, a journalist and life-long traveler, The Better Travel Podcast will help you understand travel and tourism from the inside out.

Subscribe now to listen to our first season, which launches on September 30.

You can also follow us on Instagram, or learn more at www.bettertravelpodcast.com

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.