Want to meet mentholated ants, see the forest that inspired Avatar, and search for living dinosaurs? Head for Cairns, Australia, home to the world's largest tropical rainforest. Australian playwright Michelle Law is our guide this week: Last summer, she and her sister took a road trip through the region to explore Indigenous culture, zoom through the rainforest, and bond over the mysteries of parenthood.

Read more about Michelle Law: http://www.michelle-law.com/

Explore Australia: https://www.afar.com/travel-guides/australia/guide

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

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In this episode, we’re traveling to Vienna with AFAR contributing writer Emma John. 

Emma has music in her blood. She grew up in London playing classical violin, and about a decade ago, she traveled to the American South to learn to play bluegrass, a journey she chronicled in a story for AFAR, and in her book Wayfaring Stranger. But in all those years, she avoided singing, for reasons you’ll soon hear about. And then one day, she decided to do something about it. So she booked a trip to Vienna, a city renowned for its singing talent—and the place where her musical odyssey begins. 

Listen to Emma's books

Wayfaring Stranger: https://geni.us/GWtmOcb

Self Contained: https://geni.us/JUcD

Follow Emma online

Instagram: @emmajohnauthor

Twitter: @em_john

Her website: https://emmajohn.com/

The story that inspired it all: https://www.afar.com/magazine/viennas-moment-learning-to-love-opera-in-the-city-of-music

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

J.R. Harris is the greatest traveler you’ve never heard of. On a road trip through Canada and Maine, he meditates on a lifetime of adventure—and the enduring power of a great road trip.

You can follow J.R. on Instagram, @jrinthewilderness, or via his website: https://www.jrinthewilderness.com/

This story was inspired by a feature by AFAR deputy editor Katherine LaGrave—read the full story here: https://www.afar.com/magazine/solo-traveler-jr-harris-on-a-life-of-adventure

And don't miss J.R.'s book: Way Out There: Adventures of a Wilderness Trekker

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/2660/9781680511208

Amazon: https://geni.us/DKPBL

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brendan Francis Newnam, host of the Not Lost podcast, is a Croatian-Irish reporter who’s traveled the world. But in all his wanders, he’d never really given his Irish side a chance—until now.

Subscribe to Brendan's podcast, Not Lost: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/not-lost

And follow him on social media: @BFNewnam: https://twitter.com/BFNewnam

And a special thanks to the Tourism Ireland team: https://www.tourismireland.com/

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, writer Chris Colin and his 13-year-old daughter, Cora, meet a Mike Tyson impersonator, marvel at the golden West Coast, and embrace the trancelike nature of the train.

Read more about Chris's harebrained shenanigans! http://www.chriscolin.com/

And don't miss the José Andrés podcast that Chris produced, Longer Tables: http://www.joseandres.com/podcast/

Thanks to Oklahoma, who shared his song, Mandy Sue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1CKhoc4vjc

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a kid, comedian Esteban Gast tagged along when his parents visited family in Colombia. But he’d never established his own relationship with the culture—until now. Join Esteban as he confesses his deepest darkest family secrets (well, kinda), has his first-ever "real" talk with his cousin Camilo, explores Cartagena's ubiquitous plaques, and yes, parties without his parents!

The episode that inspired host Aislyn Greene's Canada trip: https://pdst.fm/e/chrt.fm/track/B6A62C/traffic.megaphone.fm/AFAR9710174884.mp3

Learn more about Esteban! https://www.estebangast.com/

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices