Unpacked by AFAR
Unpacked by AFAR tackles one tricky topic in travel each week. Whether you want to hack your points and miles, figure out where to travel next, or need advice on an ethical dilemma, we're your expert travel guides. Because the travel world is complicated. We're here to help you unpack it.
Episodes
December 23, 2024 • 18 mins
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years at afar.com/fifteen.
“If I travel to you, will you gi...
Mark as Played
December 19, 2024 • 33 mins
Who needs a travel planner when you could consult the cosmos? According to astrologer Adama Sesay, your astrological chart can be the key to an ideal travel year.
On this episode of Unpacked, she breaks down the astrological events to look out for in 2025, shares travel suggestions based on each sign and helps you navigate traveling during a dreaded Mercury retrograde.
Wait, When is Mercury in Retrograde in 2025?
In this episode...
Mark as Played
December 16, 2024 • 27 mins
In our annual Travel Vanguard awards, Afar honors nine companies that are working to improve the world and how travelers experience it. We launched the Afar Travel Vanguard in 2016 to celebrate organizations that are making travel a force for good. This year, we received more than 100 nominations from travel professionals and organizations around the world. Narrowing down the list was no easy task since, fortunately, there are more...
Mark as Played
December 12, 2024 • 29 mins
Winter is the best time to visit the Yukon territory. Follow one writer as she travels by dog sled and snowmobile, dons snowshoes for a hike through Tombstone Territorial Park and witnesses the beauty of the northern lights and communal reclamation alongside locals. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, we follow the infamous “call of the wild” into the Canadian Yukon.
How To Plan a Winter Trip to the Yukon Territory
In this episo...
Mark as Played
December 5, 2024 • 28 mins
Wondering when, where and how much to tip when you travel? Since the pandemic, tipping requests show up in places they never have before, such as farmers' markets and fast-food counters. In this episode, two experts help you navigate the changing landscape of tipping so you can tip with respect to the people who serve you and to your wallet, wherever you go.
Tips to Improve Prompt Service
In this episode you’ll learn:
Typical t...
Mark as Played
December 3, 2024 • 16 mins
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years at afar.com/fifteen.
Two months after her house burne...
Mark as Played
November 28, 2024 • 37 mins
What happens to suitcases that can’t be reunited with their owners? It’s not something we think about that often, but for Bryan Owens, it’s an entire business. He’s the CEO and now-owner of the Scottsboro, Alabama–based Unclaimed Baggage, the only store in the United States that sells lost luggage. As you’ll hear in today’s episode, his dad launched the business more than 50 years ago with an old Chevy pickup and $300. And now the ...
Mark as Played
November 18, 2024 • 35 mins
Mark our words: 2025 will be the year of crowd-free travel. That’s why our editors and contributors spent months seeking out 25 incredible, undertouristed destinations to explore next year. Our annual Where to Go list spotlights under-the-radar escapes, alternatives to popular hotspots, and interesting places around the world you may have been overlooking for too long. And in this episode of Unpacked by Afar, four editors share how...
Mark as Played
November 14, 2024 • 19 mins
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years at afar.com/fifteen.
A pet orangutan, a 106-year-old g...
Mark as Played
November 7, 2024 • 36 mins
Wendy Mak, the author of The Capsule Wardrobe: 1,000 Outfits From 30 Pieces, shares how to pack with ease by using the philosophy she mastered to help countless clients create capsule wardrobes. From how to create your own capsule travel wardrobe, no matter the weather to multifunctional footwear and space-saving essentials—conquer your packing woes once and for all.
How To Create a Travel Capsule Wardrobe.
In this episode you’l...
Mark as Played
November 5, 2024 • 20 mins
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years at afar.com/fifteen.
Can a train be a travel destinat...
Mark as Played
October 31, 2024 • 38 mins
Can a scary story inspire you to travel? The hosts of National Park After Dark have been spooking listeners into enjoying the outdoors for years. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, Cassie and Danielle share the stories that continue to haunt them, what it’s like to stay in historic hotels with ghostly reputations, and how these morbid stories created a community of better prepared travelers.
What Can Go Wrong In National Parks?...
Mark as Played
October 24, 2024 • 39 mins
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is so much more than its gorgeous beach. This week, follow Unpacked by Afar host Aislyn Greene as explores the 14 communities that make up the Grand Strand, a coastal community in South Carolina.
She tours Myrtle Beach's food, music, and culture scenes and drives down the Grand Strand to see the gardens and parks that beckon visitors away from the sand. In this episode, you’ll get off-the-beaten path a...
Mark as Played
October 22, 2024 • 26 mins
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years at afar.com/fifteen.
A day in the life of a rent-a-fr...
Mark as Played
October 17, 2024 • 40 mins
Would you travel for a better night’s sleep? Sleep packages at luxury hotels ranging from menus with sleep-promoting ingredients to hypnotherapy sessions promise to promote better sleep, both during and after your stay.
In this episode of Unpacked, contributing writer Chris Colin travels to four different “sleep hotels” to find a cure for his own insomnia and discover what our sleep issues–and solutions–reveal about our collective...
Mark as Played
October 10, 2024 • 47 mins
Sidestep a stereotypical trip to Paris with cultural insights from journalist and long-time Paris resident Lindsey Tramuta. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, she shares ways that Paris has changed over the last 20 years and tips for travelers to key into those changes when they travel.
From etiquette to fashion, cuisine to favorite neighborhoods—she helps you experience Paris off the beaten path.
Paris Like You Haven’t Seen It ...
Mark as Played
October 8, 2024 • 17 mins
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years at afar.com/fifteen.
Hoping to recreate the same magi...
Mark as Played
October 7, 2024 • 24 mins
How do you manage stress when you’re traveling during the holidays? And is it better to book with points or cash during some of the busiest travel days of the year? Believe it or not, it’s almost time to book your holiday travel, and our friends at NerdWallet have some tips for traveling stress-free. In this special episode of NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, their objective finance journalists answer real-world questions to help ...
Mark as Played
October 3, 2024 • 35 mins
Explore an ancient, biodiverse rainforest by land, sea and air at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge in British Columbia. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, follow senior deputy editor, Jennifer Flowers, as she hikes through new and old forests in Ursus Valley, tastes bull kelp on a boat ride in Clayoquot Sound and helicopters to a mountain peak.
She learns why “untouched” isn’t an accurate description for a remote rainforest like this ...
Mark as Played
September 26, 2024 • 51 mins
Embrace the benefits of solo travel with seasoned tips to conquer fears, make the most of any trip and respond confidently to concerned loved ones. From the best places to visit solo to how to make plans for unexpected hiccups— in this episode of Unpacked by Afar, audio engineer and solo traveler Nicolle Gatleland chats with Pamela Holt, the host of TV Show, Me, Myself and the World: The Art of Solo Travel, and Bonderman Travel Fel...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
'Monster: BTK', the newest installment in the 'Monster' franchise, reveals the true story of the Wichita, Kansas serial killer who murdered at least 10 people between 1974 and 1991. Known by the moniker, BTK – Bind Torture Kill, his notoriety was bolstered by the taunting letters he sent to police, and the chilling phone calls he made to media outlets. BTK's identity was finally revealed in 2005 to the shock of his family, his community, and the world. He was the serial killer next door. From Tenderfoot TV & iHeartPodcasts, this is 'Monster: BTK'.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.