Unpacked by Afar

AFAR
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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.

  1. Forget the Algorithm. Here's How to Actually Eat Well When You Travel.

    20 HR AGO

    Forget the Algorithm. Here's How to Actually Eat Well When You Travel.

    Jennifer Hope Choi plans every trip the same way: open a Google doc, start with food, and build outward from there. As a former Bon Appétit editor, 13-year restaurant industry veteran, and author of a travel memoir, she has strong opinions about Michelin guides (skip ‘em), low-rated restaurants (sometimes worth it), and why you should always follow your optician's food recs. She also edited Afar’s debut Travel to Eat series, which includes three stories: Jeju black pork and a life-changing soup, Sherpa cuisine in the Rockies, and why Portland, Maine, might be America’s best bakery town. Meet today's guest Jennifer Hope Choi is a senior editor at Afar and the architect of its Travel to Eat series. A former Bon Appétit editor and 13-year restaurant industry veteran, she is also an award-winning writer and author of the travel memoir the Wanderer’s Curse. Her work spans food and culture, and the messy, joyful overlap between the two. In this episode How Jen’s latchkey childhood, early Food Network shows, and her Korean grandmother’s pancakes shaped a lifelong obsession with eating Why the Google doc comes first: Jen’s method for building food-forward itineraries from Reddit threads, local papers, and stranger recommendations The case against Michelin stars, lines around the block, and treating a trip like a personality — and what to do instead Inside the three stories of Afar’s Travel to Eat series: a transcendent bowl of Jeju black pork soup, Sherpa cuisine taking root in the Colorado Rockies, and the baking scene quietly transforming Portland, Maine Jen’s #1 travel food tip: ask the shop clerk, not the algorithm Links & resources Read the Travel to eat series: ⁠America's best bakery town⁠, a life-changing pork soup, and the rise of Sherpa cuisine in the Colorado Rockies Read Jen's memoir, The Wanderer’s Curse Follow Jen on Instagram Read MFK Fisher's The Art of Eating, Jen’s favorite food book Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:30 Growing Up Food-Obsessed 00:06:30 How to Eat Your Way Through a City 00:11:30 Lists, Stars, and Letting Go 00:21:30 The Travel to Eat Series 00:30:00 Tips for Eating Well on the Road Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min
  2. The Joyful Instrument That Became the Sound of Hawai'i

    2 DAYS AGO ·  BONUS

    The Joyful Instrument That Became the Sound of Hawai'i

    It started as an abandoned ukulele on a wall. Afar’s Aislyn Greene hadn’t touched it in two years — but that idle instrument sent her down a rabbit hole into one of the most joyful origin stories in music. The ukulele arrived in Hawai'i on a Portuguese immigrant ship in 1878, got a royal endorsement from a king and queen, fell into obscurity, and then took over the world. Along the way, a family of master craftsmen has been hand-finishing every instrument for over a century, and one of the greatest string players alive still can’t believe people underestimate it. Meet today's guests Roy Sakuma is a musician, educator, and founder of Roy Sakuma Ukulele Studios, Hawaii’s most famous ukulele school with four locations. In 1971, he launched the Ukulele Festival Hawai'i, now the state’s top summer event, and has spent 50 years making the case that the ukulele is no toy. Chris Kamaka is the third-generation owner of Kamaka Ukulele, the oldest continuous ukulele manufacturer in the world, founded in Honolulu in 1916. Each of the 1,000–1,500 ukuleles they produce annually is hand-played by Chris before it leaves the shop. Jake Shimabukuro is a virtuoso musician widely regarded as the greatest ukulele player alive. He has sold out concert halls worldwide and recently collaborated with Mick Fleetwood on a Blues album. In this episode How Portuguese immigrants and Hawaiian royalty together created — and named — the ukulele Why Kamaka Hawai'i still air-dries koa wood for up to six years before touching it How Roy Sakuma’s free Ukulele Festival in 1971 sparked a global revival from his backyard Jake Shimabukuro on recording a tribute to Christine McVie with Mick Fleetwood — and why low expectations are a gift What it’s actually like to take a ukulele lesson from Roy Sakuma (Aislyn finds out live on mic) Resources Listen to Afar's ukulele playlist Sign up for lessons at Roy Sakuma Ukulele Studios Explore the instruments at Kamaka Ukulele Listen to the music of Jake Shimabukuro Visit the Ukulele Festival Hawai'i Chapters 00:00:00 The Ukulele's Origins 00:02:00 Hawaii's Royal Endorsement 00:03:30 Inside the Kamaka Workshop 00:06:00 Roy Sakuma and the Festival 00:09:30 Jake Shimabukuro's Journey 00:13:00 A Lesson With Roy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    19 min
  3. How Two Years of Phone-Free Travel Rewired the Way I See the World

    9 APR

    How Two Years of Phone-Free Travel Rewired the Way I See the World

    What if the secret to a great trip was leaving your phone in airplane mode — forever? Journalist Lisa Abend has been doing exactly that, arriving in cities she's never researched, GPS turned off, without a hotel reservation or itinerary of any kind. The result isn't chaos; it's the kind of travel that actually surprises you. In this episode, Lisa makes a compelling case for leaving the phone out of the travel process. Meet this week's guest Lisa Abend is a Copenhagen-based journalist and former Time magazine correspondent who covers food, culture, and travel across Europe. She is the creator of The Unplugged Traveler, a Substack newsletter in which she visits a new European city each month without internet access, a booked hotel, or a plan, and writes about what she finds. In this episode How social media and over-researched itineraries have stripped travel of serendipity, and what Lisa is doing about it The step-by-step logistics of arriving in a foreign city with no hotel, no map, and no plan — and why it's less stressful than it sounds A birthday coincidence on a Cotswolds hiking trail that felt like the universe intervening Why "second cities" — not capitals — are the ideal places to try unplugged travel for the first time How nearly two dozen phone-free trips have changed the way Lisa navigates daily life Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:00 Backpacking Before the Internet 00:04:30 What the Internet Took From Travel 00:09:30 The Unplugged Traveler Newsletter 00:13:00 How to Choose a Destination 00:15:30 Arriving With No Hotel Booked 00:20:00 A Cotswolds Birthday Surprise 00:27:00 Finding Food Without the Lists 00:32:00 Travel as Meditation 00:35:30 Tips for Going Unplugged Resources Subscribe to Lisa's ⁠The Unplugged Traveler newsletter on Substack⁠ Read Lisa's travel stories for Afar Use ⁠Skyscanner — flight search tool Lisa uses to find cheap fares⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min
  4. In the Age of AI, This Is What Only a Travel Advisor Can Do

    2 APR

    In the Age of AI, This Is What Only a Travel Advisor Can Do

    You've got more booking tools than ever — so why would you hire a travel advisor? In this episode, Afar editorial director Billie Cohen sits down with travel journalist and matchmaker Wendy Perrin, founder of wendyperrin.com, to answer the questions travelers actually have: What can an advisor do that you can't do yourself? When does it make sense — and when doesn't it? How do you find a good one, interview them, and understand what you're paying for? From crowd-skipping at Venice to landing the perfect Egyptologist, Wendy makes the case for what truly expert trip planning looks like. In this episode Why connections (not booking tools or AI) are the real currency of great travel The difference between advisors who specialize in you vs. those who specialize in a place How to interview a travel advisor (and what their answers reveal) What travel actually costs — and why it often isn't itemized Why multi-gen trips and post-pandemic travel are driving a new wave of advisor use Chapters 00:00:00 Why Travel Advisors Still Matter 00:03:00 Advisors vs. Agents vs. Tour Operators 00:06:00 What a Great Advisor Can Do 00:13:00 Choosing and Interviewing an Advisor 00:24:00 Fees, Costs, and Transparency 00:28:00 Cruise Specialists and Misconceptions 00:33:00 Who's Using Advisors Now Links & resources Wendyperrin.com and Wendy's Wow List of top trip designers Listen to our Unpacked episode about cruise travel advisors Explore the Afar Travel Advisory Council Follow Afar at @afarmedia on Instagram and TikTok More travel planning resources at afar.com Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min
  5. An Architect's California: From LA's Secret Garden to the Magic of Joshua Tree

    27 MAR

    An Architect's California: From LA's Secret Garden to the Magic of Joshua Tree

    This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has been shaping the way Californians live, work, and gather for three decades. Barbara Bestor is the founder of Bestor Architecture, a Los Angeles studio she's led since 1995 — at a time when very few women were doing so. Her work spans coffee shops and corporate headquarters, wineries and community music centers, private homes and historic restorations. She's on the AD 100 list of top architects and designers and has been called one of the most influential architects working in LA today. In this episode, she shares her process, her influences, and the places in California that never stop inspiring her — from a former cult compound in Joshua Tree to a secret rooftop garden at Walt Disney Concert Hall. On this episode, you'll learn: • What "informal formalism" means — and why it's the best description of California's design DNA • How the LA fires, post-COVID remote work, and multi-generational households are reshaping what people want from their homes • Why adaptive reuse is finally having its moment in California • How to actually crack the code on Ojai and Big Sur (hint: find the vegan restaurant and ask your server) Travel recommendations from Barbara: Los Angeles Take the stairs at LA Phil to the rooftop garden Walk the Bradbury Building lobby (free; you'll recognize it from Blade Runner), then cross to Grand Central Market and ride Angel's Flight back up to MOCA. For neighborhoods: Melrose Hill is the current place to be; Magnolia and Victory Blvd in the Valley are time-capsule California. Northern California Stay in the original Charles Moore–designed Condominium One at Sea Ranch In the Bay Area, stay at the Julia Morgan–designed Berkeley City Club Ojai & Big Sur In Ojai, go to a vegan restaurant and ask your server where to go — that's how you find the hidden hot springs. Hotel El Roblar (designed by Ramin Shamshiri) is the new splurge hotel in Ojai. In Big Sur, Nepenthe is the move: a Wright-influenced 1950s restaurant with a giant patio and sweeping views. Joshua Tree Drive in from the top and exit at the low desert — two completely different biomes. Stay at the Institute of Mentalphysics, where the rooms were designed by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright Catch a show at Pappy and Harriet's in Pioneertown, then detour to Palm Springs and take the Sunnylands tour for "peak high-sixties modernist golf living." Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:00 From Cambridge to California 00:04:00 What Informal Formalism Means 00:06:00 Designing for How We Live Now 00:09:00 California's Architectural Legacy 00:16:00 LA Neighborhoods Worth Exploring 00:23:00 An Architecture Tour of California 00:34:00 Joshua Tree and the Desert 00:39:00 Where Barbara Goes to Recharge Resources Bestor Architecture Explore the ⁠⁠Afar guide to California⁠ Watch the live recording of our Dallas event on YouTube. Listen to our other Unpacked Live episodes featuring Roderick Wyllie and Obi Kaufmann. Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    44 min
  6. He's Been Designing California's Outdoors for Decades. Here's What He's Learned.

    27 MAR

    He's Been Designing California's Outdoors for Decades. Here's What He's Learned.

    This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has literally shaped the ground beneath many Californian's feet. Roderick Wyllie is an award-winning landscape architect and founding partner of Surfacedesign Inc. A rare San Francisco native, he's helped design some of the Bay Area's most beloved public spaces, including the Lands End Visitor Center above Sutro Baths, a plaza at the Golden Gate Bridge, and Mission Bayfront Park. He also teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In this episode, Roderick talks about growing up in 1970s San Francisco, what it means to design with rather than against a place, and why he thinks California's greatest creative export might be optimism. On this episode, you'll learn: What it was like to grow up in San Francisco in the 1970s and 80s — and how that "wild frontier" shaped Roderick's creative practice Why Surfacedesign approaches every project like a crime scene investigation, searching for the story embedded in the land How Roderick thinks about water — both as a design tool and as a precious resource in a drought-prone state What he's learning from a current winery rethink at the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Where he sends travelers who want to experience California through the lens of landscape and design Travel Recommendations from Roderick: Wineries & Gardens Faust, Napa Valley — A Victorian estate with planting designed to move from light to dark, inspired by the mythology of Faust; beautiful valley views Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma — One of California's most historically significant wine sites, beautifully sited with two landmark historic buildings Scribe, Sonoma — A more informal, less precious winery experience; Roderick especially admires the landscape work by Terramoto Ruth Bancroft Garden, Walnut Creek — A masterwork dry garden celebrating the succulent landscape; Roderick calls it "spectacular" Lotusland, Montecito — A fantasy of a California landscape with a larger-than-life history; the opera singer founder married nine times The Huntington, San Marino/Pasadena — Impeccably maintained, a spectacular garden destination Parks & Natural Spaces Golden Gate Park, San Francisco — "It always feels a little bigger than I think it's going to be" Point Reyes / Inverness — Roderick's favorite stretch of coast, particularly for seeing tule elk in the fog Blunk Space gallery, Point Reyes Station — A small gallery connected to the legacy of California sculptor JB Blunk Restaurants & Markets Valley Bar + Bottle, Sonoma — Informal, locally sourced, creative; Roderick's top pick Zuni Café, San Francisco — A California cuisine institution on Market Street; intimate despite its size Ferry Building Farmers Market, San Francisco — "Incredible to see these purveyors that are focused on peppers only or something like that" Modern Appealing Clothing (MAC), Hayes Valley — A quietly iconic SF clothing store recently named one of the 50 best in the US by the New York Times; Roderick designed a small interior garden inside the space Art & Culture Minnesota Street Project, Dogpatch — A collection of galleries with constantly rotating programming Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito — Roderick and his team designed eucalyptus-inspired play structures; worth a visit even without kids Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:00 Growing Up in San Francisco 00:05:00 How Surfacedesign Works 00:08:00 Iconic Bay Area Projects 00:14:00 Water as Design and Resource 00:20:00 Designing Winery Landscapes 00:27:00 The California Creative Mindset 00:35:00 Where to Go in California Resources Surfacedesign Inc. — Roderick's firm Explore the ⁠Afar guide to California Watch the live recording of our Dallas event on YouTube Listen to our other Unpacked Live episodes featuring naturalist Obi Kaufmann and architect Barbara Bestor Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    44 min
  7. The Naturalist Who's Been Decoding—and Painting—California's Wild Spaces for 30 Years

    27 MAR

    The Naturalist Who's Been Decoding—and Painting—California's Wild Spaces for 30 Years

    This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest is one of its most original voices. Obi Kaufmann is a naturalist, writer, and illustrator whose California Field Atlas series has redefined what a nature book can be. His books — filled with hand-painted watercolor maps, poetry, and decades of ecological research — don't tell you where to go or what you're looking at. They ask why the landscape works the way it does, and what it means to truly belong to a place. In this episode, Obi talks about growing up exploring Mount Diablo in Northern California, what makes a field atlas, and why he believes the future of California conservation depends on better poetry. On this episode, you'll learn: What a "field atlas" is — and why Obi had to invent the genre himself How Indigenous stewardship and traditional ecological knowledge are reshaping conservation in California Why Obi, one of California's great wilderness writers, is a proud city dweller in Oakland What to expect from his next three books Where to go right now to experience California's wildflower season at its peak Travel Recommendations from Obi: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park — Keep your eye on the California Native Plant Society or CalFlora for super bloom alerts; the window can be as short as a week Death Valley National Park — Another prime super bloom destination; timing is everything Big Sur — Highway 1 is open again; Obi recommends climbing a mountain and watching for California condors, which have rebounded from just 17 individuals in 1987 to over 500 today Pinnacles National Park — The smallest and least visited national park in California, with condor sightings along the High Peaks Trail; Obi calls it "a beautiful gem of wilderness" Mount Diablo — Obi's home mountain, 25 miles east of San Francisco; a lifelong study in ecological wonder Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:00 Growing Up on Mount Diablo 00:05:00 Inventing the Field Atlas 00:10:00 Conservation and the Word "Wilderness" 00:30:00 Living as an Urban Naturalist 00:37:00 What's Next: Books 7 Through 10 00:41:00 Where to Experience California Now Resources Obi Kaufmann's website and books Explore the Afar guide to California Watch the live recording of our Dallas event on YouTube Listen to our other Unpacked Live episodes featuring architect Barbara Bestor and landscape designer Roderick Wyllie Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  8. Drama, Geopolitics, and Glory: Inside the World Cup

    19 MAR

    Drama, Geopolitics, and Glory: Inside the World Cup

    Show Notes The World Cup is more than a soccer tournament — it's a mirror for geopolitics, national identity, and the power of global fandom. In this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene sits down with British journalist Jonathan Wilson, author of The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup, to explore the drama, corruption, and beauty that have defined the tournament across a century. In this episode, you'll learn: How hosting the World Cup has evolved from a nation-building tool to its current complex state — and who benefits now. What the expansion from 32 to 48 teams really means for the quality and spectacle of the game. Which teams Jonathan is watching in 2026, and the dark-horse picks you might not have on your radar. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to the World Cup Edition 00:01:30 Jonathan's Soccer Origin Story 00:07:30 Soccer, Politics, and Power 00:11:00 Who Actually Benefits From Hosting 00:21:30 The 2026 Expansion to 48 Teams 00:31:30 Teams to Watch in 2026 00:35:30 Stadiums With Stories Meet this week's guest: Jonathan Wilson, British sports journalist and author of The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup Resources: Explore Jonathan Wilson's books and writing on his website. Read The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup for the full sweep of FIFA history and drama. Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min
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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.

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