The Travel Diaries

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Katie Melua Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

Today’s special guest is the singer-songwriter Katie Melua. Many of you will know Katie from her chart-topping hits like "Nine Million Bicycles" and "The Closest Thing to Crazy”. Over the last twenty years, her soulful voice has captivated audiences all around the world, selling over 11 million albums worldwide, making her one of the most successful British female artists of all time.

Katie was born in Georgia, - a country found at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe - which was then part of the Soviet Union, and it’s a huge feature of her travel diaries today. If it's a place that's been on your travel radar, you’ll get some great tips for a future trip. Katie spent her early childhood living in Georgia before moving to the UK, when she was eight years old. Her passion for music led her to enrol at the famous BRIT school, alongside alumni like Adele and Amy Winehouse. She was discovered by songwriter and producer Mike Batt, and rocketed to stardom soon after.

Her success has of course meant she has travelled much of the world several times over on tour, and she shares with us some of the most extraordinary destinations she has put on a show, including the deepest concert ever held, 303 meters below sea level in a Norwegian fjord.

So sit back, relax, and join us on this journey as we explore the life and travels of Katie Melua.

Destination Recap:

Batumi, Georgia
Moscow, Russia
Tbilisi, Georgia
Belfast, Northern Ireland
East Prawle, Devon, England
Margate, Kent, England
Deal, Kent, England
Broadstairs, Kent, England
Mt Kazbegi, Georgia
Rooms Hotel, Kazbegi
Norway
Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England
Brazil

Katie Melua’s ninth studio album, Love + Money, is out now, and she heads out on a UK + EU tour in April and May.

With thanks to today's sponsor...

Jumeirah Beach Hotel - Visit jumeirah.com/JBHEscapes today, and book your Exceptional Escape to Dubai. Jumeirah Beach Hotels' Exceptional Jumeirah Escapes Offer gives up to 20% savings when you stay before 30 September 2023, with unlimited Wild Wadi Waterpark access, flexible cancellation and USD 200 credit when staying in an Ocean Club Room, Suite, or Beit Al Bahar Royal Villa.

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National Parks of the UK with Juliet Kinsman, Sustainable Travel Expert - Bonus Episode with BMW Mar 23, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to this bonus episode of The Travel Diaries podcast, where we are going to be talking about some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring national parks here in the UK. We’re joined by friend of the podcast, former guest on Season 3, Juliet Kinsman, who is the Sustainability Editor of Conde Nast Traveller magazine, the author of The Green Edit: Easy Tips for the Eco-Friendly Traveller and an aficionado of the national parks of the UK.

Today’s episode is brought to you in partnership with BMW and National Park UK’s Recharge in Nature Project, an initiative to support nature restoration, biodiversity, wellbeing as well as access - the project is enhancing the electric vehicle charging infrastructure around our national parks to make it that bit easier to use an electric car when exploring. Often they are so vast, so remote and so rural that if you’re driving an electric car you might be anxious about when you’d next able to charge it.

From the soaring mountains and serene lakes of the Lake District National Park to the rugged moorlands and rolling hills of the Cairngorms National Park and the wild horses of the New Forest, by uncovering Juliet’s national parks travel diaries we’ll not only take a closer look at what makes these parks so special, we'll also explore how we can ensure their protection for generations to come.

So grab your your binoculars, your walking boots, and your sense of adventure, and let's get started as we delve into the National Parks of the UK!

Destination Recap:

Lake District National Park, England
Snowdonia National Park, Wales
New Forest National Park, England
The Pig Hotel, Hampshire, England
Limewood, Hampshire, England
Chewton Glen, Hampshire, England
Cairngorms National Park, Scotland
Saorsa 1875 Hotel, Scotland
South Downs National Park, West Sussex
Petworth, West Sussex
Arundel, West Sussex,
Swanbourne Lake, Arundel, west Sussex
Wildhive, Callow Hall, Derbyshire
Loch Lomond National Park, Scotland

To discover more about the Recharge in Nature Project, visit bmw.co.uk/NationalParks

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James Martin Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Season 9! It’s great to be back. Get ready to tantalise your taste buds and whet your appetite, because today we are joined by the master of all things delicious, Chef James Martin.

James has been cooking up a storm on TV screens for over 20 years, and has written over 20 cookbooks as well, selling millions of copies worldwide.

Born and raised in Yorkshire, James remains a Yorkshire lad through and through and still spends plenty of time in his home county, which he tells us about today. You’ll hear that James has had a huge passion for food since childhood, and he was just 22 when he gained his first Michelin star working as the head chef at the Hotel du Vin in Winchester. His down-to-earth personality and infectious enthusiasm quickly caught the attention of TV producers, and it was his regular appearances on "Ready Steady Cook" that really brought him to the public's attention.

From there, he landed his own cooking show, BBC's "Saturday Kitchen,” which he hosted for over ten years, while opening restaurants in Manchester and at Chewton Glen hotel in Hampshire. Now he's the host of Saturday Morning with James Martin on ITV, alongside several foodie travel shows like "James Martin's French, Mediterranean and American Adventures” - so travel has been an incredibly important feature in his career so far.

James' travel diaries today take us from the west coast of Scotland to the golden Caribbean sands of St Barths, from the quintessential British seaside of Blackpool to a culinary road trip through Wales, and much more. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a culinary novice, sit back, relax, as we kick off a big new season of the travel diaries with James Martin.

Destination Recap:

Holly’s travels -

Lilycombe Farm, Somerset, England
The Nook, Hillside Hangouts, Worcestershire, England

James Martin -

The Lygon Arms, Worcestershire, England
Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire, England
Blackpool
Malton, North Yorkshire, England
Hotel de Plaisance, Vitrac, France
Chewton Glen, Hampshire, England
West Coast of Scotland
St Paul-de-Vence, France
L'Isle sur la Sorgue, France
Lake Annecy, France
St Barths
Monaco
Food Road Trip in Wales: The Hardwick, Abergavenny, The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny and Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, Machynlleth
Greece
Turkey
Japan
Spain

If you'd like to experience a taste of James' signature dishes, head to The Lygon Arms, and book a table at GRILL or TAVERN.

With thanks to today’s sponsor -

Kip Hideaways - The best of UK travel is just around the corner and with places already booking up fast now is the time to find and book a spring or summer break. Head to kiphideaways.com to find your perfect escape or give them a follow on Instagram @kiphideaways for the dreamiest U.K. travel inspiration.

If you want to be the first find out who is joining me on next week’s episode, follow me on Instagram @hollyrubenstein, You’ll also find me on Twitter and TikTok. Don't forget that all the destinations mentioned by my guests are included in the episode show notes here on your podcast app, and listed on my website, thetraveldiariespodcast.com

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Spencer Matthews Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Season 8 finale of The Travel Diaries. You may have first got to know today’s guest as the bad boy of the reality TV show Made in Chelsea. Now married with three children to model Vogue Williams, who he met on the TV show, The Jump, he regularly tops the podcast charts as the co-host of the hilarious hit podcast, Spencer and Vogue, as well as entertaining listeners with his former Made in Chelsea co-star Jamie Laing, on the podcast, 6 Degrees from Jamie and Spencer. It is of course, Spencer Matthews.

Spencer has led a truly international life - not many people can say they grew up in a hotel on a small Caribbean island, and it was so interesting to chat to him about life there and how it shaped who he is today. He’ll be talking about his relationships with his old Made in Chelsea co-stars. And we also talk about Spencer’s recent time in Nepal. Spencer’s older brother Michael tragically died climbing Mt Everest in 1999, and Spencer has collaborated with Disney to make a documentary film called Finding Michael about the journey to try and find his body which was never brought home. I think this is the first time he’s spoken at length about the documentary and I was really touched by his honesty about such a monumental experience to go through and what it meant to him and his family. In fact, Spencer has taken on a number of huge challenges that we talk about on today’s episode in memory of his brother, taking him from the Sahara Desert to Arctic Sweden. Alongside that, he takes us from the South of France and Morocco to New York City and Paris.

Destination Recap:

Caunton, Newark, England
Paris, France
La Colle-Sour-Loup, France
La Colombe D’Or, France
St Barths, Caribbean
Eden Roc Hotel, St Barths
Sahara Desert
Mt Everest, Nepal
Namche Bazar, Nepal
New York, NY, USA
Palais Namaskar, Marrakech, Morocco
The Mark, NY, USA
The Bowery, NY, USA
Katz Deli, NY, USA
The Select Burger, NY, USA
4 Charles Prime Rib, NY, USA
Arctic Sweden
Japan
Argentina
Brazil

If you'd like to hear more from Spencer and his wife Vogue, you can tune in to his hit podcast, Spencer and Vogue, a Global original here.

And don’t forget to check out his low- and no-alcohol drinks brand Clean Co, here.

If you’d like to hear more from the podcast don’t forget to hit subscribe or if you use Apple Podcasts to hit follow so that a new episode lands in your podcast app each week, and if you’re really enjoying it I’d be so grateful if you could leave a rating or review.

If you want to be the first to find out who’s joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

If you can’t wait til then remember there’s the first seven seasons to catch up on - that’s over 85 episodes to keep you busy there. And don’t forget that all the destinations mentioned by my guests are always included in the episode show notes and they’re also on my website, TheTravelDiariesPodcast.com

Thanks so much for listening.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard Hammond Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode I’m joined by one of British TV’s most famous faces, Richard Hammond. Stepping into the spotlight over twenty years ago, Richard became one third of the iconic trio to front the BBC's motoring show, Top Gear, alongside James May and Jeremy Clarkson.

The show went on to become the world's most watched factual TV programme - as proven by the Guiness book of records - at its peak 350 million viewers around the world were tuning in each week. The show saw the trio travel all over the world to take on epic motoring challenges, which they’ve since continued on The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime, where the three embark on car related challenges across the world.

Now when I say these shows have taken Richard all over the world, I’m not exaggerating: the filmography includes Norway, Canada, Botswana, Vietnam, Chile, Argentina, Namibia, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, India, Madagascar, Mongolia - and that’s only half of them. Richard recounts some of these epic adventures on today’s episode, taking us from Canada to Botswana, to Bolivia, as well as to some much loved spots on British soil.

Destination Recap

The Forest of Dean, England
Biblins Campsite, Ross-on-Wye, England
Coast to Coast walk across England
Buttermere, Lake District, England
North Magnetic Pole, Northern Canada
Botswana
Mozambique
Canadian Forest
Cambodia + Vietnam road trip
Mikadikadi Salt Flats, Botswana
Kubu Island, Botswana
Bolivian rain forest
South Pole

Richard Hammond's Workshop Season 2 will be available to stream exclusively on discovery+ from Monday 17th October

With thanks to…

Sonnwies, South Tyrol’s mountain family-only wellness hotel with its own organic farm. Head to sonnwies.com to find out more.

If you’d like to hear more from the podcast don’t forget to hit subscribe or if you use apple podcasts to hit follow so that a new episode lands in your podcast app each week, and if you’re really enjoying it I’d be so grateful if you could leave a rating or review.

If you want to be the first to find out who’s joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks so much for listening.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inspiring Ireland with Angela Scanlon - Bonus Episode with Tourism Ireland Oct 16, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to this special bonus destination special episode of The Travel Diaries podcast, brought to you in partnership with Tourism Ireland.

Today, we are focussing specifically on one of my all time favourite destinations, the island of Ireland. With such a breadth of experiences and activities on offer in Ireland, it’s no wonder it’s such a popular destination to have been mentioned by my guests over the last seven seasons of the podcast and today I'm joined by one of Ireland's most loved exports, TV presenter, Angela Scanlon. She'll be drawing on her lifetime of affection for and travels in her home country, as we uncover her Irish Travel Diaries. So what will we discover? Let's get started and find out.

Destination Recap:

Co. Cork
Newgrange, Co. Meath
Hill of Tara, Co. Meath
Newgrange Farm, Co. Meath
Dublin
Keem Bay, Co. Mayo
Wild Atlantic Way
Gweedore, Co. Donegal
Glandore, Co. Cork
Bellmullet, Co. Mayo
Shraigh Beach, Belmullet, Co. Mayo
Claggan Island, Co. Mayo
Clare Island, Co. Mayo

If Angela’s Irish travel diaries have inspired you to book a trip to Ireland, you can discover more epic activities atireland.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gabby Logan Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

Today, I'm joined by one of sports broadcasting’s most familiar faces, Gabby Logan. This summer alone we watched Gabby helm the Commonwealth Games, the European Championships, the Women’s Euros and the London Marathon, to name a few. She's been a trailblazer for women in sport, no doubt inspired by her own family sporting credentials as a former international gymnast herself, as well as being the daughter of a professional footballer and manager, and the wife of a rugby international.

She’s also the host of the highly podcast The Midpoint, and a prolific writer, here today ahead of the launch of her new book, The First Half.

Gabby has travelled all over the globe to cover the world’s greatest sporting events - as well as being a keen traveller in the few spare moments she has off. Today she takes us from Vermont and Vancouver to the islands of Kefalonia and St Barths, and much more.

Destination Recap:

South of France
Qatar
Russia
Long Island, New York, USA
Highlands of Scotland
Greece
Greek Islands yacht tour - Kefalonia
Vancouver, BC, Canada
London, England
Japan
European ski holidays in the Alps
Rome, Italy
Eden Roc hotel, St Barths
Twin Farms hotel, Vermont, USA
Peru
Badrutt's Palace, St Moritz, Switzerland
Monaco
India

Gabby Logan’s new book ‘The First Half’ is available from October 13 in hardback, eBook and audio and you can purchase it now from book stores and online retailers.

With thanks to…

Briggs & Riley - Take part in this week’s competition to win a Briggs & Riley Baseline Essential Carry-On Spinner (RRP £599), monogrammed with your initials & a set of Packing Cubes (£50) to make packing a breeze. To enter, follow @BriggsAndRiley and @HollyRubenstein on Instagram & tag two friends.

If you want to be the first to find out who’s joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks so much for listening.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Gamble Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

Today, I’m joined by podcasting royalty. He is the co-host of the mega-hit podcast Off Menu (one of my favourite podcasts) and Taskmaster the Podcast, too. He is a regular on our TV screens on shows like Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You; he's soon to be one of the new hosts of Pointless and he’s part of the esteemed judging panel on the Great British Menu. He is currently touring the UK with his critically acclaimed standup show, Electric. It is of course, Ed Gamble.

From coastal California to a catastrophic cruise, romance in Japan and the beaches of Cyprus, Ed takes us on another wanderlust-inducing world tour, also picking his own dream Off menu-inspired menu from the different destinations he’s visited along the way.

So fasten your seatbelts …

Destination Recap:

Cyprus
New York, USA
Newquay, Cornwall, England
Comedy Cellar, New York, USA
Las Vegas, Nevada
The Buffet at Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
California Road Trip, USA
Ace Hotel Palm Springs, USA
The Venetian, Las Vegas, USA
The Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, California, USA
Tokyo, Japan
Kyoto, Japan
Rutobo, Kyoto, Japan
Miyajima, Japan
Nara Deer Park, Japan
Milk Bar, New York, USA
Fruit Market, Hull, England
SY23 Restaurant, Aberystwyth, Wales
The Little Chartroom, Edinburgh, Scotland
Deep South BBQ Tour, USA
Mexico

A huge thank you to Ed Gamble. Ed is touring the country with his new stand-up show Electric. For tickets and further info, visit edgamble.co.uk

With thanks to ... DK Eyewitness - Find "Go Here Instead" online at dk.com or at your local bookshop.

If you want to be the first to find out who’s joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks so much for listening.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wolfgang Puck Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

With over fifty restaurants, multiple Michelin stars and innumerable celebrity fans, Wolfgang Puck is one of the world’s most famous chefs and global restauranteurs.

Born in Austria, he began cooking alongside his mother who was a chef, before starting his formal chef training at just 14 years old, quickly going on to cook at some of France's best restaurants. But, it wasn't an easy childhood, and Wolfgang is incredibly honest about the abusive relationship he had to endure with his step father at home, and how that has shaped who he is today, and where he still can’t bring himself to travel to as a result.

It was far away from Austria, in Los Angeles, California, where Wolfgang really made a name for himself, garnering the attention of the Hollywood elite, arguably becoming the world’s first ‘celebrity chef’ and spearheading a revolution of Californian cuisine with his flagship restaurant, Spago. For over thirty years he has also been the official caterer of the Oscars, lining the stomachs of every gong hungry nominee, and he was even awarded his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

When you have global restaurant empire like Wolfgang you spend a lot of time travelling, and this episode takes us to some fabulous locations all over the world from Sardinia to Mexico, Capri to Japan.

Destination Recap:

45 Park Lane, London, England
Spago, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, USA
Austria
Colchester, Essex, England
Villach, Austria
Arlberg, Austria
Park City, Utah, USA
L'Oustau de Baumanière, Provence, France
Sardinia
Cala di Volpe, Sardinia
Bonifacio, Corsica
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Montage Los Cabos, Mexico
Rosewood Miramar Beach, Montecito, California, USA
Capri, Italy
Quattro Passi Restaurant, Italy
Budapest, Hungary
Viva Mayr, Austria
Japan
Nile Cruise, Egypt
Uganda

If you’d like to experience Wolfgang’s cuisine, then you should check out the new outdoor dining terrace of CUT at 45 Park Lane hotel, part of the Dorchester Collection in London, which is open for lunch and dinner.

With thanks to…

Citalia - Discover the real Italy with Citalia, the UK’s leading Italian holiday specialists. Let the Italy Experts craft the perfect holiday for you and experience Italy like a Citalian.

Thanks so much for listening.

If you want to be the first to find out who’s joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

If you can’t wait til then, remember there’s the first seven seasons to catch up on - that’s over 85 episodes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack Savoretti Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode we’re joined by one of the UK’s most successful singer-songwriters. He’s collaborated with everyone from Kylie Minogue to Bob Dylan and Nile Rogers, and recently sold out Wembley Arena - we’re joined today by the utterly delightful and extremely talented Jack Savoretti.

Jack had a truly international upbringing, moving from London to Switzerland, and spending idyllic childhood summers in Portofino, Italy, where his father’s family hail from as well as on a remote Bahamian island - it’s a rather enviable childhood I have to say.

It was a slow-burning rise to fame for Jack as a musician, who toured the UK for several years, all the while his fanbase grew and grew and it was his sixth album, Singing to Strangers, that finally hit the number one spot, and his most recent record, the sun-soaked and star-studded Europiana - which frankly couldn’t be a better talking point for the podcast, as it was inspired by his European upbringing and life - that was also a chart-topper too and it was really interesting to hear the story behind that.

This episode is a love letter to the Mediterranean as well as a few spots farther afield, but as the night’s draw in here in England, I hope this injects a bit of sunshine into your day.

Destination Recap:

Liguria, Italy
Formentera, Spain
Oxfordshire, England
Lugano, Switzerland
Ascona, Switzerland
Hotel Eden Roc, Ascona, Switzerland
Portofino, Italy
San Fruttuoso, Italy
Pierre Island, Bahamas
Abu Dhabi
South America

Jack Savoretti’s latest single Dancing Through The Rain which is taken from Europiana Encore, a special extended edition of his chart topping album, Europiana, is out now.

If you want to be the first to find out who’s joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks so much for listening.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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