The Travel Diaries

Today I'm joined by one of the funniest women in British comedy, Maisie Adam. Since winning the prestigious So You Think You're Funny competition at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, she's become a familiar face on shows including Mock the Week, Taskmaster and Last One Laughing, as well as selling out her own stand-up tours across the UK and beyond.

Born and raised in North Yorkshire, Maisie's career has taken her all over the world...

Hello and welcome back to The Travel Diaries Unpacked, your weekly weekend dose of wanderlust.

Joining me this week is Isabella Craddock, she’s the founder and editor of Near+Far magazine, former editor at Condé Nast Traveller Middle East and the Middle East Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Hotels. Raised between Cape Town and the UK, and now based in Dubai, Isabella comes from a family of hoteliers, so you cou...

Today I’m joined by entrepreneur, TV personality and crafting queen, Sara Davies.

Sara founded Crafter’s Companion while she was still at university, turning an idea into an international, multimillion-pound crafting business. She went on to become the youngest-ever female investor on BBC One’s Dragons’ Den, was awarded an MBE for services to the economy, and swapped the boardroom for the ballroom on Stri...

Welcome to The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, your weekend dose of wanderlust. I’m Holly Rubenstein, and today I’m joined by travel and design editor Amira Hashish, founder of creative studio Rapport, who spent 12 years at the Evening Standard, where she was executive editor. From antiques hunting in Nice to finding the quieter side of Capri, we’re exploring some of her favourite escapes, with a little Florence inspira...

Today I’m joined by the iconic Celia Imrie. Celia is, of course, one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, with an extraordinary career spanning more than five decades. From her unforgettable collaborations with Victoria Wood, to Bridget Jones’s Diary, Calendar Girls, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and, more recently, The Thursday Murder Club. She's one of those performers who has been part of our lives for as long a...

Today I’m joined by the brilliant Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director at The Standard, whose job involves knowing exactly where’s worth going and what’s worth your precious time off.

And there’s so much inspiration in this conversation. If you’re already dreading the clocks going back, Suzannah has some very tempting ideas for extending your summer, with a little help from her Spanish family conne...

From the jazz clubs and Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans to the swamps, dance halls and small towns of Acadiana, this Destination Special explores a side of Louisiana, USA that many visitors never get to see.

We travel west along Interstate 10 into the heart of Cajun and Creole country, a region shaped by its French language, distinctive music, extraordinary food and deep connection to the surrounding bayous.

Louisiana trave...

This week on The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, I’m joined by Sarah Allard, Digital Director of Condé Nast Traveller, for your weekly weekend dose of wanderlust.

Sarah’s job takes her to some extraordinary places, and today she’s sharing the trips, hotels and foodie finds she thinks should be on your radar. We start with the growing appeal of Northern Europe, including the Danish island of Bornholm, before heading t...

Today’s guest is returning to the podcast after 5 years! TV presenter, adventurer and explorer Steve Backshall is one of the most travelled people in the world, and one of the best story tellers - so he is the ultimate Travel Diaries guest.

Just listening back to his first episode in preparation for today was a reminder of what an amazing episode that was - if you haven’t listened to that scroll back and listen to t...

Today I’m joined by travel writer, author and photographer, Luke Abrahams. Luke is one of the UK's most prolific travel journalists, having been to 30 countries this year alone, and he's about to release a new book, The Luxury Travel Book: 25 personal experiences that make you rethink the world and your place in it. These are stories that make you rethink the beauty of life and the mastery of human creativity, and it is packe...

Today’s guest is one of the most influential figures in British food. Ruthie Rogers is the chef and co-founder of The River Cafe, the legendary Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Hammersmith, which she opened with Rose Gray in 1987. Over nearly four decades, The River Cafe has completely transformed the way we eat and think about Italian food in this country, and its kitchens have helped launch the careers of some of Brit...

This week on The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, I’m joined by Lauren Ho, one of the world’s most well-travelled luxury hotel experts. Lauren is Travel Director of Wallpaper*, a contributing editor at Country & Town House and the Academy Chair for Western Europe for The World’s 50 Best Hotels.

Recorded just days after this year’s list was revealed in Paris, Lauren shares her reaction to the results, why Asi...

Today’s guest is one of Britain’s funniest, most distinctive and most beloved writers, Caitlin Moran.

Caitlin began writing her first book at just 13, was published at 16, and became an award-winning Times columnist and the bestselling author of books including How to Be a Woman, More Than a Woman and What About Men?

Her brilliant new book is called How to Be Hopeful, and it begins with a feeling I think many of u...

Hello and welcome to our very first episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, your weekend travel fix. 

Today I’m joined by the fabulous John O'Ceallaigh. John is a travel journalist and consultant to luxury hospitality brands, who previously served as the luxury travel editor for The Telegraph for nearly a decade.

We'll be unpacking Nisha's bucket list destination, China; reflecting on my Hotel of the Week, Six Sen...

Hello and welcome to a brand new season of The Travel Diaries. It’s great to be back!

I couldn’t think of a more joyful guest to kick off the season than Nisha Katona. A former child protection barrister turned restaurateur, food writer and TV presenter, Nisha is the founder of the hugely successful Mowgli Street Food restaurants, the author of several cookbooks, including her newest release, The Curry Bible, and was...

Today’s guest is, quite simply, one of the great travellers of our time. Sir Michael Palin first joined me on The Travel Diaries back in 2020, and that episode went on to become one of our most loved and most listened-to conversations ever. So when the opportunity came up for him to return to the podcast, this time to mark the publication of his new book, In Nigeria, I absolutely leapt at the chance.

For anyone listening w...

Before we get started, a quick warning: this episode contains spoilers. So if you haven’t finished watching the latest series of Race Across the World, I’d suggest turning off now and coming back once you have!

Race Across the World is one of those shows that just gets under your skin, isn’t it? You start off thinking you’re watching a travel programme, and then suddenly you’re so emotionally invest...

Today’s guest is one of the country’s best-loved comedians and presenters - the wonderful Tom Allen. You’ll know him from Bake Off: An Extra Slice, The Apprentice: You’re Fired, QI, Would I Lie To You?, Live at the Apollo and of course his standup comedy. He’s also a brilliant writer, and his new novel, Common Decency, is out now.

Tom’s travel diaries are full of glorious detail. We talk child...

On today’s Destination Special, we’re taking you somewhere that, for so many travellers, represents the ultimate holiday feeling: Queensland, Australia.

This is a state seven times the size of Britain! A place where one trip can take you from the cultural heartbeat and riverside energy of Brisbane, to the al fresco beach lifestyle of the Gold Coast, to ancient rainforest, island life, wildlife encounters, Aboriginal ...