Why We Wander

It has been a while since the last episode we recorded together. We've got a bunch of ideas of topics we want to cover this fall and winter on Why We Wander but we thought we'd ease back into things with a fun thought experiment inspired by a recent article in Conde Nast Traveler titled "Why I never travel without a white button down shirt." Tamara and Shannon muse about the things we pack, from favorite clothing items and travel essentials to the sentimental objects we pack to remind us of home or bring home to keep our travel memories alive.

In this episode:

"Why I Never Travel Without a White Button-Down Shirt," Rebekah Peppler, Conde Nast Travel

The classic passport belt

The down-filled blazer

We had a busy summer at the podcast and at The Wandering Scholar, despite the unusual circumstances surrounding all of us right now. Normally we'd be giving you updates from our students about their trips abroad with one of our travel partners, but obviously that wasn't possible for us this year. And so we had to get creative.

In place of our usual program, we launched a new storytelling initiative for travel-loving and travel-curious high-school and college students. Whether they had a passport already dotted with stamps or they were yet to embark on their first international flight, we asked young people to tell us "Why I Wander." One such young person was a student named Laniyah.

While working on this episode with Laniyah, we got to witness how something as intuitive as asking a set of questions can lead to a meaningful personal narrative. Whether you're also a student, traveler, storyteller, or all of the above, it's an important lesson in seeing what happens when we remain curious about where we come from, where we currently find ourselves, and where we feel drawn to go.

In this episode, Tamara and Shannon talk about the new rules of tourism. After world-famous cities like Amsterdam got a taste during the pandemic of what life was like without tourists looking to get high, visit the Red Light District during Stag (Bachelor) parties, and sometimes even treat their town like one giant public restroom, they want a fresh start now that tourists are starting to return. Instead of revelers they want art lovers and foodies. Will it work? Will other cities follow suit?

In this episode, Tamara chats with Jewells Chambers, founder of All Things Iceland (a multi-platform destination for learning about Icelandic culture, history, and nature).

They talk about Jewells' most formative travel experiences, the love story that took her to Iceland, what it's like to be a Black person there, and balancing family ties with a sense of wanderlust.

In this episode, Shannon and Tamara chat with Danielle G., host of the podcast Young, Gifted, and Abroad (https://www.younggiftedandabroad.com/), which had its debut on Juneteenth in 2018. We asked her about her earliest international experiences, whether she prefers standing out or blending in when she travels, and why it's so important for BIPOC travelers to talk about both the highs and the lows of study abroad.

It's almost summer which means road trip time for many people who are seeking a little adventure as restrictions ease up around the U.S. In this episode Tamara and Shannon catch up about Tamara's recent road trip over Memorial Day weekend from Toronto to Colorado. They circle back to the topic of vaccine tourism, Tamara shares why she chose to stay in college towns, and Shannon tells two #vanlife stories. Listen in and let us know if you agree which with what makes a road trip a road trip.

In this episode:

"Traveling While Black: The Green Book's Black History" -

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/green-book-black-travel.html

Hall Pass Promotion from Graduate Hotels - https://www.graduatehotels.com/hall-pass/terms-conditions/

In our last episode, Shannon and Tamara talked about the place of travel in their lives and why it matters so much to them that they built a non-profit and podcast around it. The conversation made them wonder what some of their previous guests had to say about the importance of travel, so they reached out. This episode brings their insights to you.

You'll hear from Janina Klimas (Episode 39: "Learning Languages at Home and for the Future") about the life-changing magic of global citizenship, from Melissa Creary (Episode 14: "Travel and Chronic Illness") about getting intentionally lost, from Elisa Jéhanno (Episode 42: "You Can Still Visit Paris") about opening your mind and heart, from Ashley Rose Young (Episode 48) about fostering awe and wonder, and from Alison and Don (Episode 13: "Retirement Travel") about feeling alive.

For our 50th episode, Shannon and Tamara drill down to the essence of our show to ask: what is it about travel that nourishes us, defines our sense of self, and - in some cases - even makes us go crazy at the thought of living without it?