Elliott Confidential Podcast Christopher Elliott

Gruezi from Zürich, Switzerland!
It’s been a few weeks since our last podcast, so we have a lot of catching up to do. Our adventure has taken us from Tampa to the Swiss financial capital, to Liechtenstein and Germany. That’s a lot of ground to cover.
Before we get to our pictures, here’s this week’s question: Since Zürich has a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities in the world, we thought we’d ask: What’s the most expensive place you’ve ever visited? And was it worth it?
The best way to get around Switzerland is by train. The SBB, the Swiss train system, has a handy app you can use. Or you can just look up, Aren. The departure information is on the board.
This is Winterthur’s old city on a Sunday morning. I had totally forgotten that everything closes on Sunday, so if you’re making a movie about the zombie apocalypse, and want that abandoned city look, just wait until Sunday. (Although this being Switzerland, you will probably need several permits to film.)
Here’s a view of Zürich from Uetliberg, the highest point in the city. We live in an apartment on the left side, in a district called Wiedikon.
This is Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Those mountains still have snow, which means technically you could go skiing. We have to come back.
Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the most expensive place you’ve ever visited? And was it worth it? Please leave your comments and we’ll read them in our next podcast.



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Hello from Anguilla. This is the final podcast in our nine-week odyssey through the Caribbean.
Anguilla is a popular alternative to St. Martin, which you can see from the southern end of the island.
Which brings us to this week’s question: Have you ever visited an “alternate” destination? For example, instead of going to Miami, seeing the Florida Keys. Or checking out the East Bay instead of San Francisco? We’d love to hear about your favorite alternates today.
Anguilla is filled with almost indescribable beauty. This is what you see when you check into Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club. Pretty spectacular.
The hotels in Anguilla have a friendly rivalry for the best views. Here’s the one from Zemi Beach House, another luxury hotel. That’s a private poll overlooking the beach.
All of these hotels have impressive environmental programs, which I will be writing about in the last installment of my sustainability series.
We’ve really enjoyed bringing you our unfiltered opinions from the Caribbean for the last nine weeks. We’re taking a few weeks off for Memorial Day and will be reporting from another part of the world soon.
Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever visited an “alternate” destination?




This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe

Hello from Antigua!
If you like romantic islands with warm blue waters and lots of all-inclusive resorts, you’re going to love this place.
But it’s also a seismically active area. This week, we experienced a small earthquake. Which brings me to our question: Have you ever been through a natural disaster in your travels? Tell us about it in the comments.
We took a long walk while we were staying at Keyonna Beach Antigua Resort and saw things we’ve never seen. Enormous conch, laughing gulls, and crabs sparring in the clear water. If you like swimming in a warm, translucent ocean, this is the place to visit.
Breakfast at the Carlisle Bay Antigua. There’s so much to choose from. And that’s quite a view! We’ll share more about our experiences in Antigua in the podcast (Here’s a preview: If you like romance, book your ticket to Antigua. We met so many honeymooners this week.)
This kitten was hanging out in front of my room at Keyonna yesterday. Antigua is exceptionally pet-friendly. And you know, the cats think it’s all for them (which it is).
We have some big news of our own: Aren has finished is coursework for his MA in applied linguistics from the University of Massachussetts, so he is now officially my full-time photographer and podcast editor. Maybe we’ll take one more spin around the world before the next big thing — whatever that is.
Thanks for listening to our podcast. We’ll be in Anguilla next week, the final island in this series.
Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever been through a natural disaster in your travels? Tell us about it in the comments.






This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe

Hello from Barbados!
This is a fascinating island and there’s a lot going on here.
Before I get to the details, here’s this week’s question: Tell me about the newest skill you’ve learned in your travels. We’re asking because Aren is trying to learn how to dive, and it hasn’t been easy. We’ll talk about it in the podcast.
Barbados has the best sunsets. Here’s what we saw on our first evening on the island. I remember my editor’s stories of seeing the Green Flash here. Alas, no flash on the evening I took this photo.
We did a quick rewind to Grenada and our visit with Atebo, our Rastafarian farmer friend. I don’t recognize many of these fruits, which is great. We’re always learning something new. My story on sustainability in Grenada just came out this morning.
Lunch at Villa Casablanca. This is one of the benefits of traveling during the off-season. We loved this part of our island experience.
Please don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the newest skill you’ve learned in your travels? I realize it’s a pretty open-ended question, but have fun with it. The comments are open.



This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe

Hello from Grenada, a small Caribbean island just north of Trinidad and Tobago.
Grenada is called the spice island because they grow everything here — allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace. When they burn wood, you feel like it’s the holidays because you smell all the spices.
All of which brings us to this week’s question: What’s the spiciest meal you’ve ever had during your travels? (In the podcast, I’ll share my story of thermonuclear Mexican food in Santa Fe.)
That’s a cinnamon tree. You can spend all day sniffing one of these and imagining it’s Thanksgiving back in the States.
By the way, the signature drink here is cocoa tea, and you absolutely have to try it. It’s dark chocolate and a combination of spices. We can’t get enough of it!
In 1983, the U.S. invaded Grenada. They blew up this Russian plane, which is still parked near the old runway. The airport moved to the other side of the island and the runway is being used for drag races today.
We’ll have more from Grenada, including the rest of our island tour and how we discovered some of the best chocolate in the world.
Don’t forget today’s question: What’s the spiciest meal you’ve ever had in your travels?




This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe

Greetings from Curaçao!
Today, I have something completely different: I strapped on some dive gear and accompanied lionfish huntress Lisette Keus on an expedition. Keus runs an organization called Lionfish Caribbean that turns these invasive creatures into bracelets, earrings and keychains.
It’s all part of the island’s sustainability efforts.
Here’s this week’s question: What’s the greenest hotel you’ve ever stayed in? I’m talking about a property that went way beyond the “recycle your towels” sign in the bathroom.
Lionfish are beautiful but deadly creatures that came here from the Indo-Pacific. They’ve been called the perfect invaders because they have no natural predators and can reproduce quickly.
Keus told me she has “a lot of respect” for lionfish — and catching them is not easy. They hide under rocks during the day and are really difficult to spot. Controlling the lionfish population is an essential part of reef conservation. I’ll tell you what it’s like to hunt lionfish in the podcast.
It’s not the only conservation effort taking place on the island. Here’s Gary Farstad, the general manager of the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort, with an ornamental starfish made from recycled plastic that washes up on the beach. You can find this recycled art all over the hotel.
Art made from recovered plastics is everywhere in Curaçao, including the narrow streets of Otrobanda, the historic “other side” or Willemstad. Local guide Stanley Flores shows Aren a display made out of plastic bottles.
By the way, here’s the next installment in my series on sustainability on Aruba’s efforts to go green. I just posted it this morning.
Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the greenest hotel you’ve ever stayed in?
We’ll be in Grenada next week. I’ll see you there!


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe