As a kid growing up in London, chef Zoe Adjonyoh learned to cook by watching her father make the foods he ate as a kid growing up in Ghana. As an adult, she opened a restaurant devoted to dishes like spicy, peanut butter–laced groundnut stew. A decade into her career, Zoe realized she wanted to know more about Ghanian cuisine—and her own family. Here’s what happened when she landed in Accra with an open heart and an empty belly. 

Read, and cook from Zoe's book!

And listen to this week's Tiny Travel Tale from Roger Hill of Long Island, New York.

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 the early 2000s, AFAR contributing writer Emma John—a classically trained British violinist—fell for the Americana-inspired music of bands like the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. She desperately wanted to recreate that bluegrassy sound, but her attempts at home didn’t go so well. So she bought a ticket to North Carolina with the vague idea of figuring things out. Fate brought her Fred, a banjo player who opened the door to the world of bluegrass—and his home—to her. Here’s what happened when Emma walked through.

Read Emma's book about bluegrass, Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey in the American South

Or her memoir, Self-Contained: Scenes from a Single Life

And subscribe to her podcasts, The Spin, a Guardian podcast about cricket, and The Breakdown, her bluegrass effort.

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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Rēnata West was born and raised in a Māori village on New Zealand’s North Island, and his family has been telling stories for more than 200 years as the pioneers of tourism in New Zealand. In this episode, Rēnata shares how his community learned to embrace tourism that both protects his people and preserves their rich culture—a model he now seeks to spread to other Indigenous communities.

Learn more about Rēnata's organization, Pacific Storytelling, and sign up for his newsletter, here.

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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When Carolina Quiroga-Stultz turned 30, she wanted to meditate in Nepal and “figure out her life,” she said. Instead, she wound up moving from Colombia to Johnson City, Tennessee, to learn how to be a professional storyteller specializing in the myths of Latin America. Here’s how the move challenged her, confused her—and, ultimately, changed the course of her life.

Read more about Carolina here—and be sure to subscribe to her bilingual podcast, Tres Cuentos.

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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Seven years ago, author Maggie Shipstead traveled to the Arctic to begin her next book. She was there as part of an Arctic Residency that connects artists with the icy landscape. But when she arrived in the Svalbard archipelago, she had only the seed of an idea. As she sailed around the archipelago—along with 27 other artists—Maggie discovered that inspiration can come in mysterious ways.

Enjoyed Maggie's episode? Be sure to read Great Circle, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in September 2021.

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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As a college student on her first trip to the Tuscan town of Lucca, writer Lisa Abend discovered a shop that specializes in customized ex libris, also known as bookplates. She desperately wanted one, but knew she needed more life experience before she could commit to such a personal thing. Three decades later, she returned to Lucca in search of that print shop—and her very own ex libris.

Read the full story.

Subscribe to Lisa's newsletter.

And read her book!

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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The women who flew for Pan Am in the 1960s and 1970s were spirited, adventurous, trailblazers who lived life mostly on their own terms. In this week’s episode, we’ll meet a few of those women. Julia Cooke, author of Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am, spent four years researching their lives. Along the way, she learned a few lessons about travel—and friendship.

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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Comedian Michelle Buteau traveled with her best friend, Cynthia, to Paris to drink wine and meet French boys, because that’s what you do when you’re in your 20s and searching for love (or lust). Only things didn’t exactly go to plan . . .

Michelle Buteau is an actress and comedian (you may have seen her Netflix comedy special Welcome to Buteaupia). She’s also the host of the new Discovery Plus show, Weekend Getaway with Michelle Buteau, a three-episode series about quick trips in America, as well as the author of Survival of the Thickest (Gallery Books, 2020). 

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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Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka never really knew her dad. As a kid, she and her grandmother had moved from Japan to L.A. and, over the years, her relationship with her dad dissolved. Years later, she flew to Bali—where her father had retired—in an attempt to reunite. She thought they’d drink on the beach and stroll through tropical forests. Her dad, however, had a very different reunion in mind.

Hear more from Atsuko on her website.

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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