This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week we hosted Unpacked Live, a—you guessed it—live version of the podcast in partnership with Visit California in Boston, Massachusetts.

The event celebrated California's diverse Native communities, and host Aislyn Greene was joined on stage by John Acuna, a Hoopa Valley tribal member and Klamath River kayak guide (listen to his episode), and Christina Lonewolf Martinez, a private chef based in Monterey uniting the worlds of fine-dining and Indigenous ingredients like salmon, seaweed, and acorns (listen to her episode).

Because the talk was in Boston, we wanted to acknowledge that Massachusetts is the original land of the Wampanoag, who have called this region home for more than 10,000 years. Angela C. Marcellino, a member of the present-day Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, joined us on stage to share a brief history, and today we're going deeper.

Angela is a chef, historian, and author of The True Natives of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Their Food Ways. In this in-depth episode, Angela shares the real story of the original Pilgrim-Wampanoag encounter, how her tribe has retained and expanded its culture, and the best ways that travelers can engage respectfully.

In this episode, you'll learn

Meet this week's guest

Resources

Don't miss these moments

Stay Connected

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Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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 This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. Because this week we hosted Unpacked Live, a—you guessed it—live version of the podcast in partnership with Visit California in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2022, Visit California launched Visit Native California, and the goal with the Boston live event was to celebrate California's diverse tribal communities. Unpacked host Aislyn Greene was joined onstage by John Acuna, a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Humboldt County, California, and a river guide with Rios to Rivers and Paddle Tribal Waters.

In July, 2025, shortly after the Klamath River was undammed—the largest dam removal project in U.S. history—John helped guide a historic 30-day expedition down the Klamath River, known as the First Descent.

On stage, John shared the Klamath River's history and what it was like to spend 30 days kayaking a river that has been so essential to the West Coast Native communities and was for so long diverted and quite literally drained of life.

In this episode, we go deeper. John shares his early life, how he found his way back to the water, and the lessons he's learned after spending so many years on the river. He also explains how cultural stewardship, land‑back efforts, and Indigenous fire and river knowledge are reshaping landscapes and communities across Northern California.

In this episode, you’ll learn

How John’s childhood and early work as a firefighter led him to river guiding and youth programs.

Why the Klamath and Trinity rivers matter to Indigenous food security, culture, and health.

What the Klamath dam removals changed — and how quickly salmon and waterways began to recover.

How Paddle Tribal Waters and Rios to Rivers use recreation, mentorship, and cultural practice to rebuild connections for Indigenous youth.

Practical ways travelers and listeners can support tribal‑led stewardship and community‑based guiding.

Don’t miss these moments

[02:00] — John introduces his community kayak fleet (15 boats)

[18:00] — John’s first rafting expedition and the job offer that changed his life

[55:30] — Sendoff ceremony at the Wood River headwaters (prayer roots, blessings)

[59:30] — Open-lake challenge: wind, waves, and seasickness on early days

[01:03:00] — Ikes Falls: a sacred portage and a transformative whitewater run

[01:13:30] — Salmon spotted upstream; surprisingly fast ecological rebound

[01:20:30] — Cultural burning and prescribed fire: returning Indigenous stewardship to the landscape

[01:23:00] — “Tread water” tattoo story — resilience and metaphor

Meet this episode’s guest

John Acuna — Hoopa River guide, former firefighter, Paddle Tribal Waters leader, instructor with Rios to Rivers

Resources mentioned in the episode

Rios to Rivers

Paddle Tribal Waters (project of Rios to Rivers)

Warrior Institute

Redwoods & Rivers guide school

Hoopa Valley Tribe

Yurok Tribe

How to support

Donate to Rios to Rivers or similar Indigenous-led river programs.

Book community-based guides and ethical local tour services when visiting tribal territories, such as  the Beaver Creek Guide Service, which offers fishing charters along with education.

Explore our coverage (like this story) on afar.com. 

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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

This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. Because this week we hosted Unpacked Live, a—you guessed it—live version of the podcast in partnership with Visit California in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2022, Visit California launched Visit Native California, and the goal with the Boston live event was to celebrate California's diverse Native communities. Unpacked host Aislyn Greene was joined onstage by Christina Lonewolf Martinez, a Monterey-based private chef and founder of Chieftess Monterey Bay, who is reintroducing Indigenous ingredients and practices to California’s central coast. 

On stage, Christina shared her early life and how working with local Central Coast tribes like the Esselen people, she is reviving and celebrating Indigenous ingredients like acorn flour and seaweed—and using her fine-dining training to bring them to life in brilliant new ways. 

In this episode, we go deeper. Christina shares more of her family’s background, the Central Coast’s Indigenous foodways and living traditions, and where she loves to eat on a rare day off. 

In this episode, you’ll learn

How Christina’s Mexican and Indigenous family roots shaped her earliest food memories and led her into professional kitchens

What “re‑Americanizing” American food looks like when Indigenous ingredients become the centerpiece

The labor and ritual behind processing acorns and how acorn flour tastes and performs in dishes

How Christina collaborates with local tribal members and community organizations to forage responsibly and honor place

Don’t miss these moments

[02:10] Watching a grandmother’s kitchen—where Christina’s food story begins

[09:40] From Denny’s to the Post Ranch Inn: the pivot into fine dining and foraging

[14:50] The first encounter with acorn blinis at Post Ranch and why acorns matter today

[23:30] Planning and performing the Chieftess table at Big Sur Food & Wine

[26:10] The Salmon People amuse: sea grapes, smoked salmon, and a river rock presentation

[33:00] Favorite local escapes: Point Lobos, Esalen hot springs, and Carmel Valley river picnics

Meet this week’s guest

Christina Lonewolf Martinez, private chef and founder of Chiefess Monterey Bay

Resources

Chieftess Monterey Bay — find pop‑ups, private dinner info, and event listings

Esselen Tribe — local tribal resources and cultural context

Big Sur Food & Wine — festival details and past programming

Explore Afar’s coverage of Big Sur and the Central Coast

Where Christina eats, drinks, and takes visitors

Alta Bakery

Ad Astra Bread Co

Carmel Valley Creamery

Stokes Adobe

Cella Monterey

Hacienda Hay & Feed

Esalen Institute 

How to engage 

Christina offers pop-ups via her Instagram account.

Check out Three Sisters garden and seed‑saving workshops (community colleges and local organizations) with Rowen White

Watch for college demos at Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz 

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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

In this special four-part series, join Unpacked host Aislyn Greene as she travels to Charleston, South Carolina, to unpack the city’s deeper currents.

Up first: To really get to know Charleston, you must spend time on its water ways. Aislyn heads out for a pre-dawn paddle, hunts for Ice Age fossils alongside Charleston’s Indiana Jones, and explores one of the most pristine marine parks on the East Coast—making new friends along the way (the human kind and the animal kind). 

And be sure to come back next week, when we dive into Charleston’s legendary food scene.

In this episode, you’ll learn

—The history and geology of Shem Creek

—Why Morris Island is such a legendary place for fossils—and what it takes to find the good stuff. 

—The moody, remote magic of Bulls Island—home to Boneyard Beach—and what it’s like to cruise through the pristine Cape Romain, one of only three Class I Wilderness Area’s in the United Sates.  

—Charleston’s diverse marine life, from oyster-eating birds to dolphins with a unique way to create their very own seafood buffet. 

—The best marine wilderness tours to go deeper into Charleston’s aquatic history and landscape. 

Don’t miss these moments* 

*Time stamps are estimated and may change due to programmatic advertising. 

Recreate these experiences

Resources 

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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

How do you determine what makes a great city? This week on Unpacked, Afar editor at large Laura Dannen Redman sits down with Chris Fair, president and CEO of Resonance Consultancy, to unpack the firm’s annual World's Best Cities ranking.

Chris explains how the list measures livability, lovability, and prosperity; the UK city that still tops the chart; the methodology changes that reshaped the top 100; and what the ranking means for overtourism, climate risk, and destination marketing.

In this episode you’ll learn

How Resonance measures a city’s livability, lovability, and prosperity

The two cities that remain neck and neck at the top of the list

Which cities climbed or slipped after switching data sources from TripAdvisor to Google Maps

The perception gap between measured performance and global awareness, with Sao Paulo as a case study

How climate risk and resilience are starting to factor into city rankings

Don’t miss these moments

[00:03:00] How the ranking began as a consulting tool and evolved into a public benchmark

[00:08:00] The top 10 cities, revealed

[00:10:00] Why switching from TripAdvisor to Google Maps changed the makeup of the top 100

[00:11:00] Sao Paulo’s rise in lovability and the perception gap in Ipsos survey results

[00:16:00] The emerging role of climate risk and resilience in city rankings

[00:20:00] The challenge of destination concentration and how only a handful of places capture most traveler interest

[00:23:00] Vancouver’s spot at 41 and what it reveals about livability versus prosperity

Meet this episode’s guests

Resources

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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

Welcome to Unpacked: Five Questions. In honor of our latest issue of ⁠Afar magazine⁠, which focuses on epic trips—the kind of adventures that change your world—we're hearing from the writers and photographers who chronicled and captured those trips.

In the final episode of the series, host and Afar executive editor Katherine LaGrave speaks with Ryan Knighton, a memoirist, screenwriter, surfer, and Afar contributing writer, about his first trip to Peru with Intrepid Travel.

Blind since his late teens, Ryan reflects on orchestral nights in the Amazon, the terrifying thrill of canopy rope bridges, and why tactile histories — from Incan pebble counting to khipu knot records — stayed with him long after he left Machu Picchu.

On this episode you'll learn

How a blind traveler experiences the Amazon’s soundscape and why a night in the Amazon became the trip’s standout moment

What the canopy walk felt like and why tactile, sensory experiences mattered more than famous vistas

The Incan tactile systems Ryan encountered and why those discoveries resonated with him personally

How group travel reshaped Ryan’s experience and turned strangers into a supportive traveling “tribe”

Don't miss these moments

[3:23] Ryan describing the Amazon at night and its “Dolby” soundscape

[6:25] The first step onto a high canopy rope bridge and the trust it required

[8:49] Reflections on Machu Picchu, expectations, and why some bucket-list sites land differently for different travelers

[13:46] The guide’s tactile pebble-and-grid demonstration of Incan counting systems

[20:29] How group dynamics transformed the trip into a shared, memorable experience

Resources

Read Ryan Knighton’s Afar story about Peru

Learn more about Intrepid Travel

Take This Trip

Contributing writer Ryan Knighton joined Intrepid Travel on its nine-day “Premium Peru” trip, which visits Lima, the Amazon, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu. On the ground, meals, transport, accommodation, and luggage and airport transfers are included. Travel dates for 2025, 2026, and 2027 are available at intrepidtravel.com. From $4,600 per person.

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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

Welcome to Unpacked: Five Questions. In honor of our latest issue of Afar magazine, which focuses on epic trips—the kind of adventures that change your world—we're hearing from the writers and photographers who chronicled and captured those trips.

In the third episode of the series, host and Afar executive editor Katherine La Grave speaks with Afar contributor Chris Colin about his first safari — a family trip through Botswana that mixed biking, Land Cruisers, salt pans, and intimate wildlife encounters.

Chris describes the sensory moments that changed how he pays attention, the guides who opened the landscape to his family, and the small-scale wonders (including an antlion and a near-miss with a cobra) that stayed with him long after the trip.

In this episode you’ll learn

Why Botswana’s slower pace and fewer vehicles make it a different kind of safari

How biking through the bush reveals small-scale wildlife moments you won’t see from a Land Cruiser

Practical travel advice for families and first-time safari-goers (how to slow down, pack flexibly, and read local history)

How local guides turn instincts and small signs into unforgettable wildlife sightings

Don’t miss these moments

Opening conversation on why Botswana felt like the right first safari

Riding on elephant trails with a bike-supported vehicle nearby

The antlion pit: a small, gruesome, unforgettable predator encounter

Lying on the salt pans under a vast African sky and hearing lions roar at dusk

A near miss with a massive cobra while answering nature’s call

Meet this episode’s guest

Chris Colin — Afar contributing writer and the traveler at the center of this episode

Take this trip

Contributing writer Chris Colin’s eight-day Botswana itinerary was put together by Teresa Sullivan, cofounder of Mango African Safaris, who specializes in family travel. The trip featured a Natural Selection cycling safari into the Makgadikgadi Pans and exploring the Okavango Delta. From $2,444 per person, per day. 

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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

Welcome to Unpacked: Five Questions. In honor of our latest issue of ⁠Afar magazine⁠, which focuses on epic trips—the kind of adventures that change your world—we're hearing from the writers and photographers who chronicled and captured those trips.

In the second episode of the series, host and Afar executive editor Katherine La Grave sits down with journalist Chloe Berge. Chloe spent 13 days paddling 80 miles down Canada's Firth River—one of the country's oldest and most northern rivers—before reaching the Arctic Ocean. This epic journey through Ivvavik National Park combines adventure, science, and deep cultural history in one of the most remote regions on Earth.

Chloe shares her experience navigating Class IV rapids, disconnecting completely from the digital world, and standing in ancient Inuit hunting grounds that have been used for thousands of years. She reveals why this unique expedition—which hosts only about 100 visitors annually—serves as the sole opportunity for Parks Canada scientists to collect critical environmental data in this pristine wilderness.

On this episode you'll learn:

Don't miss these moments:

Resources

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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

Welcome to Unpacked: Five Questions. In honor of our latest issue of ⁠Afar magazine⁠, which focuses on epic trips—the kind of adventures that change your world—we're hearing from the writers and photographers who chronicled and captured those trips.

In the first episode of the series, host and Afar executive editor Katherine La Grave speaks with photographer Kari Medig. Kari has spent 15 years traveling the world documenting ski culture—from Austria's iconic Hahnenkamm downhill to landlocked Lesotho. But one region has captivated him above all others: the Balkans.

Kari shares his journey through Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, revealing why these mountains—many higher than the Swiss Alps—offer something beyond world-class skiing. He discusses the unbelievable hospitality that keeps bringing him back, his unique analog photography approach using a Hasselblad film camera, and why he seeks out parking lot encounters as much as pristine powder.

From a chance morning photo of a ski rental owner in her bathrobe to reconnecting with a Bulgarian café owner a decade later, Kari's stories illuminate how skiing becomes a lens for experiencing culture in its most authentic form.

On this episode you'll learn:

Don't miss these moments:

Resources

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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

Albuquerque isn't just a stopover—it's a destination where ancient land meets modern vision. On this replay episode of Unpacked, join host Aislyn Greene as she discovers why this Southwestern city has become a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, food innovators, and cultural preservation. From sunrise balloon rides to Indigenous-led breweries, explore the Albuquerque that's rooted in 10-million-year-old landscapes and 700 years of Pueblo heritage.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Meet this week’s guests

My Albuquerque itinerary

Where I ate, stayed, and played.

Hotels

Restaurants

Activities

Explore more places to stay and savor with Afar's New Mexico travel guide.

Stay Connected

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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