The Funny Travel Stories Podcast

In this episode, Digital Writer Akhila Thomas from Yours Magazine (Bauer Media) talks about missing a connection flight, ending up on an unexpected trip in Dubai, and being stopped on suspicion of smuggling jewellery.

She also shares her desert adventures in Morocco, the beauty of the Pink City, Jaipur, and her dream destination.

Today’s guest, Rui Xin Yang, a friend from my volunteering days in Sri Lanka. He shares funny memories from Pigeon Island, his migration journey to Australia, and several trips back to Taiwan.

We also talk marathons and his hiking trip in Tasmania. During his trip to Taiwan, he even met a hairdresser who was going to the same Hebe's concert!

He recommends visiting Adelaide and tells us why Japan’s Hokkaido is next on his travel list.

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Pratyush Batra, who previously worked as a video journalist at Notts TV, Deputy Station Manager at Trent TV, radio presenter at Switch Radio, and Fly Live.

You’ll hear:

• Where’s the disappearing sock on a hotel balcony in Tiranë, Albania
• Trying to get the sunscreen off by jumping in the swimming pool, which ended with a red eye!
• A funny hiking trip with his old school friends in Kheerganga, Himalayas
• Why he recommends visiting Leh and Ladakh
• And the reason he wants to go to Japan

In this episode, I’m joined by Sharon Boadu, radio presenter at Switch Radio, to talk about funny travel moments, K-culture and scholarship.

You’ll hear:

• Travelling to Montenegro for her friend’s birthday trip: matching outfits and celebrity treatment

• Going to Morocco for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation scholarship conference
• Her experience at the Student Radio Association conference at MediaCity, Manchester
• Why she recommends visiting Montenegro and London
• Her love for BTS and K-dramas
• She also teaches me how to speak Twi!

In this episode, I’m joined by Scarlett Kwok. Scarlett, now working as a Marketing Lead, shares some of her funniest and most unforgettable travel memories.

From nearly missing a flight in Copenhagen after falling asleep at the gate, to watching her paper map disintegrate in the rain at the Palace of Versailles, we laugh at the chaos.

Scarlett also recalls a light-bulb moment on a solo trip in the US and explains why she prefers traveling in nature. She recommends visiting New Zealand’s South Island and hopes to travel to Banff National Park in the future.

In this episode, Han Yu and I dive into student life and friendship, including the funny travel experience where his friend accidentally left the backup phone alarm on - waking them up in the middle of the night and having them to solve math questions and puzzles.

He also shares his bizarre travel memory of stumbling into a strip club in Soho, London, but never seeing it again.

Han Yu tells us the special moment of witnessing his best friend’s proposal. He also explains why he recommends visiting Iceland.

In this episode, Owen Jones takes us into the historical and cultural experiences of the places he’s been to. From his travel memories in Zanzibar, to crossing the border from Singapore to Malaysia.

Owen also shares experiences in Turkey, Romania, and Tunisia, and recommends everything from reading in the woods of Ireland to sunny beaches in Guam, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. We also hear why London is where he considers an ideal place to live long-term.

Owen explains how New York has transformed before and after Covid, and how a high school trip in Vietnam made him witness the change during the process of helping others. Finally, Owen shared the places where he really wants to go — Iran, Syria, and Myanmar — while reminding us to check embassies, restrictions and safety before travelling.

In this episode, I sit down with one of my best friends - Rini Ghosh. We first met while studying our master’s in journalism, but her story started long before that as a movie actress and writer in India.

She takes us through a funny escape at a drunk tattoo parlour, our unforgettable two-hour walk across London on Christmas Day, and the ups and downs of our journalism degree.

We also explore her lobster adventure in Singapore with her mum, where the bill was so shocking she almost had to wash dishes to pay it off.

Rini recommends Singapore and Thailand, and shares her dream list of future destinations: Ayodhya in India, Greece, Paris, and New York.

In this episode, Janet shares the barbecue accident in Mallorca, the island in Spain, and tests the limits of romance during a summer trip to Rome in the heat.

There’s also her first snow experience which ended with snow hitting her in the face, as well as the tragic story behind St. Basil's Cathedral. It’s a mix of experiences and laughs you’ll probably relate to!

Today, I’m joined by Viraj Soni, a producer and journalist at BBC Radio Nottingham, Leicester, and Lincolnshire.

From the peaks of India to the hills of the UK, Viraj shares his impromptu dance party in icy waters at Rohtang Pass in India, a miracle peacock sighting in the Andharban (Dark Forest), and a very suspicious brown stain after sliding down a hill near Solomon’s Temple in Buxton.

We also talk about staying connected to family back home as international graduates, must-visit travel places from Nainital in India to Solomon’s temple in the UK, and dream destinations in France’s Dordogne and Le Mont-Saint-Michel.