Learn about holiday traditions observed in France, Norway, Greece, London, the Spanish Basque Country, and small-town Italy. From festively decorated Greek boats to dishes of fresh oysters and fermented trout, and Santas who live not on the North Pole but on a farm or in the woods, Christmas is a little different across the pond.

Hear about what Europeans are looking forward to at this time of year, from Saint Nicholas Day through Boxing Day, in Germany, England, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, and the Czech Republic — perhaps it's some of grandma's special potato salad to go with the fish stew and figgy pudding!

Rick talks with author Paul Theroux about the advantages of traveling solo, and swaps some travel-writing tricks, then TV host Samantha Brown joins us to describe how the pandemic has affected her love of exploratory travel. We'll also hear what's special about Paris in winter, and how the people of Dingle celebrate the Irish tradition of Wren's Day on December 26.

A pair of French tour guides tell us why Lyon is one of their favorite places in France. Then the president of the social-justice nonprofit Sojourners describes how the example set by Martin Luther King, Jr., inspires his work within religious communities in America. And a journalist from Iceland points out his country's surprising degree of influence on the world stage.

A Greece-based tour guide describes the elevated role of godparents in her adopted country, where godparents become a lifelong part of the child's family. Then TV chef Lidia Bastianich shares the story of her family's flight from Yugoslavia, and the successful family business they were able to start in America. And former NBC Middle East correspondent Martin Fletcher explains how his latest novel, set in Israel during its early years as a modern state, evokes the extraordinary drama of Israeli life in that era.

British travel writer Richard Grant discusses the sporting sense of humor he's observed (and appreciated) behind the distinctly American talent for over-the-top bragging. Then tour guides from Madrid let us in on their favorite places to take visitors in the Spanish capital. And we ponder our place in the planet's history with author Robert Macfarlane, who shares insights gained from a decade of investigating, from a perspective of geologic time, humanity's relationship with our landscape.

Tour operator Steve Perillo describes his family's connection to a scenic town near Naples, and why he's so eager to return. Then travel writer Chaney Kwak explains why Seoul is an ideal introduction to traveling in Asia, and recommends a relaxing island counterpoint to the bustling Korean capital. And Rick and his frequent collaborator Cameron Hewitt fill us in on what they encountered on their first European trips since the pandemic began.

Join Rick on a dip into the deeper end of travel literature as he talks with travel essayist Pico Iyer about writing from the heart, then with author Julian Sanction, who recounts the gripping story of a polar expedition stuck in Antarctic ice over 100 years ago. And Salman Rushdie takes us back 500 years to describe some of the key figures of Renaissance Italy and Moghul India.

Just in time for Halloween and Day of the Dead, meet some of the famous residents of Buenos Aires' Recoleta Cemetery, then take an armchair expedition to some of the spookiest places in the Atlas Obscura catalog. And hear what an Episcopal deacon has learned about how people around the world deal with death.

Roman Mars, host of the podcast "99 Percent Invisible," describes some of his favorite examples of clever design from his home turf in Oakland and Berkeley. Then two tour guides from London team up with Rick to recommend an ideal sightseeing week in the British capital. And poet and essayist Lisa Wells shares the insights — and optimism — she gained from interviewing a geographically and ideologically wide range of people battling climate change by improving their own communities.