Tripology: Travel Podcast

Two worlds collide in this week's episode, as Artificial Intelligence makes the news for sending travellers to locations that don't exist. We hear about a couple in Peru who were left stranded, after letting AI plan their trip!

We find out what a coffee pot, water pump and a safe box all have in common, as Tripological Reasoning returns with hypothetical scenarios that may or may not be Alun's real life dilemmas.

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Have your passports ready! This week's travel quiz tests Alun's knowledge of all things passports. Which countries have the strongest passports and which countries have the weakest passports? And when was the first ever passport issued? We go through some of the 2025 passport rankings and share some weird passport facts you didn't know!

If there's one thing Alun's hates about travel, it's ubiquitous, unimaginative travel quotes. Alu...

In this week's very personal episode, Alun opens the travel diary that started 4 years of non-stop travel. Alun kept a travel journal for 4 years, documenting every day. We relive the moment he set off on the adventure that started it all. Hold onto your coffees tightly!

Adam shares his chance encounter with an inspiring gentleman who's had a huge impact on the travel industry. Let's just say he 'carries a lot of wei...

Dreaming of Van Life in New Zealand? In this episode of the 'award-nominated' Tripology Podcast, Adam shares his experience of buying a campervan in New Zealand. Learn how a failed vehicle inspection was the key to him buying the campervan.

Hostel Wars returns and this week Vagabot's off to the student town of Rosario, Argentina. Will it be Adam or Alun who can deliver the most authentic hostel recommendation?

Searching f...

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. Our paid partner BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started: https://betterhelp.com/tripology

Any Ping-Pong players in the house? We hear from a Backpacker who was lured into a Bangkok night club and extorted for money! Learn how saying 'Yes' can be a very expensive mistake.

Hostel Common Room returns with a heartfelt question th...

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. Our paid partner BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started: https://betterhelp.com/tripology

Dark sky at night, Adam's delight! Adam celebrates his birthday at the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, the largest Dark Sky Reserve in the Southern Hemisphere. With stars in his eyes, the stargazing is cut short, when h...

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. Our paid partner BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started: https://betterhelp.com/tripology

Travel emergency! Alun's travel horror story sees him heading to hospital, after contracting an infection in his foot that Google diagnoses as Lymphangitis! Dangerous travel infections are Alun's vocation, and knowing that sepsis wa...

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. Our paid partner BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started: https://betterhelp.com/tripology

Are you a Slow Travel supporter or a Fast Tourism fan? This week’s hot topic is the ongoing travel debate between Slow Travel and Fast Tourism. But which style of travel is right for you? Receiving the question from a listener into the Hostel C...

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. Our paid partner BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started: https://betterhelp.com/tripology

Puffer fish, take cover! Alun's attempting the freediving world record in Siargao, Philippines, after learning freediving breathing techniques. Eagerly signing up for a Spearfishing for Beginners course run by a handsome Spanish instruc...

Love is in the air! This week a listener shares her romantic travel story of kissing a stranger on a plane! Making the most of the in-flight entertainment, a travel romance blossoms at 35,000 feet, putting the 'lust' in wanderlust! Has the Mile High Club gained two new members?

Following in Anthony Bourdain's footsteps, Alun dives head first into Filipino food culture, attending a traditional Fiesta in Siargao. The Philippines is wo...

Pad Thai is Thailand's National dish but is it authentic Thai food? Is the Pad Thai an overrated tourist trap that has its roots elsewhere? We find out the real story behind Thailand's most iconic dish in this week's rather spicy episode! What's a white guy got to do to find some 'authentic' Asian food around here?

We continue the Thailand theme in Tales of a Trip, as we hear from a listener who's been backpacking Southeast Asia. On...

In this episode of Tripology: Travel Podcast, the stakes are higher than ever before, as Alun puts it all on the line in the most nerve-wracking edition of Tripping Point yet. If he fails, he'll quit travelling! Will Alun be crowned travel quiz champion or will he be on the next flight home?

We discuss how to stay fit whilst backpacking, and share how we build exercise into our travel plans. We also hear a heartfelt message from a l...

Is social media ruining travel? We explore whether overexposure to travel destinations is setting us up for disappointment, ensuring our travel expectations cannot be met.

In this episode of Tripology Podcast, we unpack how social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and even travel blogs, impact how we experience travel —and how it might be making us less happy on the road.

We discuss the psychology behind the Instagr...

This week we introduce a new segment: Hostel Wars - We present AI Travel Bot 'Vagabot 3000' (definitely not ChatGPT) with two accommodation options in Kotor, Montenegro. In the hope of backpacking Europe, Vagabot 3000 must pick the worst hostel based on genuine hostel reviews, continuing the search for the most 'authentic' experience.

Tales of a Trip takes a romantic but embarrassing turn, as we hear from a Brazilian...

A backpacking trip to India takes a wild turn when friend of the show Will Hatton, aka The Broke Backpacker, finds himself surrounded by 100 monkeys — while tripping on LSD. In this psychedelic travel tale, Will recounts how a peaceful sunset at a Rajasthani fortress spiralled into monkey madness.

This is the first edition of Tales of a Trip: a brand-new segment on Tripology Podcast where fellow travellers and listeners of the show ...

It's Alun's turn this week, as he relives one of his greatest travel stories! Whilst walking the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, he was attacked and mugged by a Zimbabwean gang; the gang were armed with knives, machetes, and a rusty screwdriver!

After a year travelling the continent of Africa, and with a flight to New Zealand booked for the very next day, was Alun lucky to escape or did he push his luck too far? Tune ...

To celebrate a new dawn at Tripology, Adam shares two of his greatest travel stories. Both set in Borneo, on the same action-packed adventure, we hear how he came face to face with an enormous male Orangutan whilst trekking through the Danum Valley rainforest, and the terrifying moment he almost drowned whilst scuba diving in Mabul.

Extreme ends of the travel spectrum but equally spectacular, this episode is not to be missed!

We'd lo...

We hiked through the ancient rice terraces of Banaue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's been dubbed the 8th Wonder of the World. Carved into the mountains of Banaue on the main island of Luzon, Philippines, these 2000 year old rice terraces are well worth the 10 hour night bus north of Manila. As predicted, Adam falls victim to heatstroke, but who's to blame? Was it the midday sun? Was it the questionable hiking gear? Or was it t...

No trip to the Philippines would be complete without eating the controversial Filipino delicacy, Balut. This popular street food has been trending on social media for some time, due to its shocking appearance and questionable ethics, so we decided to give it a try. Is it good? Is it wrong? Join the debate!
We also discuss the Philippines' other defining features: incredibly slow elevators and the infamous mode of public transport, t...