Armchair Explorer

Award-winning podcast featuring travel documentaries recorded on location, immersive adventure stories, deep dives into cultures around the world, and inspiration for how to life to the fullest. Hailed as “inspiring storytelling” by the New York Times, and “Ear candy for listeners” by the Washington Post. Two-time Webby Nominee Best Society & Culture Podcast

  1. 3d ago

    IMMERSION: Wonders of Arizona Road Trip (Part 2) - Navajo Climbing, Sky Islands & the Most Biodiverse Place in America

    In this second episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we head for the Sky Islands: isolated mountain ranges that rise out of the desert like islands from a sea. This is the most biodiverse region in North America, where jaguars and ocelots still roam and more than half of the continent's bird species have been recorded. We take a nature tour with one of the country's foremost naturalists and survival experts, then head for Mount Lemmon, passing through six ecological zones in just 35 minutes. In terms of natural habitats, that's the equivalent of traveling from Mexico to Canada. At the top, we rope up for a Native American-led rock climb to hear what this remarkable eco-system means to the people who have lived here for thousands of years. This is Arizona - the Wonder of the Sky. Episode Highlights: Islands in a Sea of Desert You may never have heard of the Sky Islands, but naturalist Vincent Pinto says there's nowhere on the continent more alive. From hummingbirds and hawks to jaguars and golden eagles, life is everywhere in these mountain islands and the sea of grass between them. Take a nature tour with Vincent and discover this ecological wonder for yourself. The Art of Seeing Walk the trails of Raven's Nest Nature Sanctuary as Vincent teaches the art of truly seeing nature. Meet a rabbit that eats its own scat, a plant that smells like grandpa's couch, and the smallest butterfly in North America. Stone Age Survival Discover how to turn a rock into a knife sharp enough to use as a scalpel, taught by a wilderness survival expert who has consulted for TV shows including Marooned with Ed Stafford. Navajo Heights Travel to the top of Mount Lemmon with Diné (Navajo) climbing guide Aaron Mike, and hear why climbing is how he feels most connected to his heritage, and to the stories his people tell about the land. PLAN YOUR TRIP Recorded entirely on location over ten extraordinary days, this immersive documentary podcast follows a road trip designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more) and his team at Armchair Productions. To find out how you can take this exact road trip yourself, go to wondersofaz.com. Thank you to our guests: Vincent Pinto, Ravens-Way Wild Journeys and Raven's Nest Nature Sanctuary: ravensnatureschool.comAaron Mike, Altitude Mountain Guides: altitudemountainguides.com FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA: Instagram: @visitarizona Facebook: @visitarizona CREDITS: The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions for Visit Arizona. Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast Check out all of our other travel podcasts from aroundthe worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

  2. Oct 20

    ADVENTURE: On Thin Ice - Hiking Siberia During the Invasion of Ukraine with Explorer Charlie Walker

    There is a moment in every great adventure when the world shifts beneath your feet. For explorer Charlie Walker, it came in a Siberian supermarket, comparing brands of pasta at minus 38 degrees, when his phone buzzed with a BBC alert: Russia has invaded Ukraine. He was about to begin a 600-mile solo trek through northern Russia, crossing some of the most remote, frozen wilderness on Earth. The official advice was to leave as soon as possible. He chose to stay. On Thin Ice is the story of what happened next. A journey across a Siberian Zimnik, a frozen winter road through silent forests and tundra, past Gulag towns and disappearing indigenous villages, into the heart of a country at war with itself as much as with its neighbour. It is a story of extraordinary human warmth in the coldest place on Earth, of state surveillance and midnight knocks at the door, of weeks spent in a Russian prison cell, counting days up instead of days down. And it is a story, ultimately, about the nature of truth and a mirror it holds up to all of us. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Stranded in Yakutsk Hear how Charlie found himself in Yakutsk the morning Russia invaded Ukraine, standing in a supermarket comparing pasta packets when his phone buzzed with the news that changed everything. Siberia’s Ice Road Travel with Charlie along the Zimnik, one of Siberia’s frozen winter roads, through total whiteout, wolf tracks, blinding cold, and drunk lorry drivers navigating in the dark without headlights. The Coldest Place on Earth Discover the warmth hidden in the coldest place on Earth: Sakha women who dressed Charlie in traditional ceremonial costumes, fed him horse blood sausage, danced with him, and sent him off with a shaman’s blessing the next morning. Imprisoned in Putin’s Russia Find out what it feels like to be arrested, tried, and imprisoned in Putin’s Russia, and how Charlie spent nearly four weeks in an Arctic prison cell, counting shuffling footsteps from one wall to the other. FIND OUT MORE Charlie Walker’s book On Thin Ice is available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold. Explore Charlie’s other expeditions and books at cwexplore.com Follow Charlie on Instagram: @cwexplore KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS THIS? If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favour - send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little adventure in their life right now. Hit the share button in your podcast app - it takes about ten seconds, and it genuinely helps us keep bringing these stories to you. FOLLOW US Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast Website: armchair-explorer.com CONNECT WITH US If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don’t miss a thing, and if you have a spare moment, look up - there’s five stars waiting to be clicked! It goes a long way in helping others find the show. CREDITS Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at Armchair-Productions.com Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast Check out all of our other travel podcasts from aroundthe worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

    ADVENTURE: On Thin Ice - Hiking Siberia During the Invasion of Ukraine with Explorer Charlie Walker
  3. Oct 13

    IMMERSION: Wonders of Arizona Road Trip (Part 1) - Giant Saguaros, Cattle Penning & the Keeper of the Fire

    In this first episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we walk among the ancient cactus forests of Saguaro National Park. Then we saddle up at White Stallion Ranch for legendary guns, dusty arenas and a campfire under the stars with a cowboy poet. It's a journey into the heart of one of the most remarkable deserts in the world, and into the mythology of the American West that this landscape helped shape. This is Arizona - the Wonder of the Desert. Episode Highlights: The Desert Miracle Hear why Ranger Jordan Camp from Saguaro National Park calls the giant saguaro a "miracle of the desert," and discover the extraordinary biology behind one of nature's most remarkable survivors. The Symbol of the West Find out how a cactus that grows only in the Sonoran Desert became Hollywood's defining image of the Wild West, and why the real desert is nothing like the movies. Guns of the Wild West Step into the armory at White Stallion Ranch as the resident gunslinger and raconteur lays out some of the most legendary weapons in American history, from the Colt revolver made famous by Wyatt Earp to Billy the Kid's fast-draw pistol. Team Penning Get into the heart of the action as Aaron, mic'd up and in the saddle for the first time, attempts to herd cattle on horseback at White Stallion Ranch. Spoiler: the cows were not impressed. The Keeper of the Fire As the sun drops behind the Tucson Mountains and the saguaros turn to silhouettes on the horizon, gather around a campfire with cowboy poet and musician Buck Helton, and hear a song about memory, tradition and what it means to keep a flame alive. PLAN YOUR TRIP This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a road trip you can take. Recorded entirely on location over two extraordinary weeks, Wonders of Arizona follows a new, bookable itinerary designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more), told through the voices of the people who know these places best. Hear it first, then make the journey your own. To find out more go to: USA and Worldwide Listeners: wondersofaz.com (https://www.wondersofaz.com) UK Listeners: search up Wonders of Arizona at HaysTravel.co.uk (https://www.haystravel.co.uk/destinations/americas/rest-of-usa/arizona/wonders-of-arizona/wonders-of-arizona/) ... Or phone: 0800 408 4048. FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA: Instagram: @visit_arizona Facebook: @arizonatravel CREDITS: Thank you to our guests: Ranger Jordan Camp, Saguaro National ParkThe whole team at White Stallion Ranch (WhiteStallionRanch.com)Cowboy poet and musician Buck Helton (BuckHelton.com) The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast Check out all of our other travel podcasts from aroundthe worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

    IMMERSION: Wonders of Arizona Road Trip (Part 1) - Giant Saguaros, Cattle Penning & the Keeper of the Fire
  4. Oct 6

    PATHWAYS SEASON 5: Seven Wonders, Siberia and a Story 10,000-years old

    At the start of every season, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play some of their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share. A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, and two people telling travel tales down the pub, our Pathways episodes are your guide to choosing your adventures with us. Season five episodes: SEVEN WONDERS: Join us On Location for a 2,000-mile road trip in search of the Seven Wonders of Arizona. Play cowboy at White Stallion Ranch beside Saguaro National Park, stand on the rim of Meteor Crater, the best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth, and hike down into the Grand Canyon to touch rocks 1.8 billion years old. SIBERIA INVASION: Explorer Charlie Walker sets out to walk the frozen rivers of Arctic Siberia and meet the people who live in the coldest inhabited places on Earth. Then, just as he lands, Russia invades Ukraine, and his months-long journey becomes a story nobody saw coming. ICE AGE TRAIL: We hike the Ice Age Trail, one of America’s least-known long-distance footpaths. It follows the edge of the last Ice Age across Wisconsin, where a glacier up to a mile thick carved out kettle lakes and forested hills. Plus, we paddle by canoe into the wild North Woods. UNWILDED: Aaron hangs out with adventurer Alastair Humphreys in the UK to talk about his new book, Unwilded, and why adventure is about your mindset, not your geography. It’s also the reason Aaron climbed a tree. PLUS: Our first ever game show, Two Travel Truths and One Travel Lie. Can producer Jason spot the fake fact about Japan, Iceland and Finland? ALSO COMING UP IN SEASON 5: Hiking in Slovenia, an igloo festival in Quebec, long-distance trekking in Japan, a tapas safari in Spain, a night in a former asylum that’s now a hotel, and Providencia, Aaron’s secret Caribbean island. *** If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed. Reviewing the show helps other people discover it and helps us continue to produce it. If you like episode, please consider a quick review on your favorite podcast platform. You don’t have to write anything just click those five (hopefully) stars! Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma! Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast Check out all of our other travel podcasts from aroundthe worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

  5. Jul 6

    BUCKET LIST: Uluru - Australia's Wonder of the World

    Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast Rising over 1,000 feet straight from the red desert of Australia's Northern Territory, Uluru is one of the great wonders of the world. At sunrise it glows pink, gold, and amber. At dusk, it forms the backdrop to one of the most spectacular sunsets you will ever see. But that's just scratching the surface. What most visitors never discover is that the real wonder of Uluru lives in the stories, and culture, of the people for whom it is not just a wonder - but a part of them. In this Bucket List episode, Kylene Randall, a traditional custodian of Uluru and member of the local Anangu people, takes us deep into the Aboriginal heart of this extraordinary and sacred place. We'll discover the ancient creation law of Tjukurpa, hear the story of the Stolen Generation and how Kylene's grandfather found his way home, walk the stories at the base of Uluru, learn hands-on bush skills and traditional culture, and find out what the four pillars of Anangu wellbeing might teach us about how to live our lives too. This is a journey into the soul of Uluru and the people who have kept watch over it for more than 30,000 years. Episode Highlights: Walk the Stories at the Base of UluruTravel with Kylene on an indigenous-led walk around Uluru, hearing the story of the Mala people, their ceremony, their fight, and the lessons it contains.Hear the Story of the Stolen GenerationLearn how Kylene's grandfather was forcibly removed as a small child, spent his life searching for his mother, and ultimately found his way back to his culture - and how that extraordinary act of resilience changed her life and continues to inspire her work today.Experience Culture Hands OnDiscover what it's like to make traditional tools, learn bush medicine from native plants, dig for honey ants, cook kangaroo tail on a fire, and spend a night on country beneath a sky full of stars.The Four Pillars of Holistic WellbeingHear Kylene's grandfather's teaching on the four things that make us complete - family, country, spirit, and law - and why, when we are disconnected from any one of them, we cannot truly thrive. FIND OUT MORE This Bucket List episode is the second in our series on Australia's Northern Territory. If you missed the first - Into the Wild: A Road Trip Through Australia's Northern Territory - go back a few episodes in the feed. Together they make an extraordinary two-week itinerary that finishes right here at Uluru. To experience Uluru with Kylene and her family, visit talikatu.com or follow on Instagram at @talikatu PLAN YOUR TRIP We designed this itinerary with a company called Down Under Endeavours, who specialise in authentic Australian adventures — wide open spaces, real wilderness, and the kind of local characters you'll be telling stories about for years. Armchair Explorer listeners get $500 off any trip. Head to downunderendeavours.com/armchair and use the code ARMCHAIR at checkout. You can literally book this exact trip or design something entirely your own. You can book from anywhere in the world, and even if you're just dreaming right now, the website is worth a visit. The dream is half the fun. Know Someone Who Needs This? If this episode moved you - and it will - do us a favour and send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Hit the share button in your podcast app, it takes about ten seconds, and it makes a genuine difference to the show. FOLLOW US: Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com CONNECT WITH US: If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show and continue to bring these stories to you. Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions. Check out all of our other travel podcasts from aroundthe worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

  6. Jun 25

    CONNECTION: Wayfinding with Travel Writer Daniel Scheffler

    Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast Wayfinding is an ancient Polynesian way of navigating by reading the ocean, stars and wind. No compass, no map, just deep observation, and experience passed down through generations. But because of that, wayfinding is more art than science. It's about trusting your instinct and using all your senses - and it's exactly the kind of travel Daniel Scheffler believes in, and exactly what this conversation is all about. Daniel Scheffler is one of the world's most successful travel writers, and in today's episode he and host Aaron Millar swap tales like a couple of mates having a laugh down the pub. Expect scorpion bites in Angola, voodoo ceremonies in Benin, Berber festivals in Morocco, and lots more. But between the wild stories, this episode is about something much deeper too. If you want to be inspired about not just what to see, but how to see - and how to make travel more than just Google reviews and ticking off lists - this is the episode for you. HIGHLIGHTS Hear how Daniel survived a scorpion bite in Angola, three minutes from death, and the tribal leader who saved his life by sucking out the venom.Travel with Aaron to a Festival Fantasia in the foothills of Morocco's Atlas Mountains, the biggest culture shock he's ever experienced, and why that discomfort was exactly the point.Discover what it's like to sit inside a voodoo ceremony in Benin, a belief system entirely outside Daniel's own, and why he calls it one of the best things he's ever done. FIND OUT MORE Daniel Scheffler writes regularly on Substack at Without Maps find more of his writing and adventures there. And don't miss his own podcast, Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel - if you enjoy Armchair Explorer, we think you'll love it too. Listen to Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts: Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel on Apple Podcasts PASS IT ON: If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favor - send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wayfinding inspiration in their life … Or go old school and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint! Every single share genuinely moves the needle. Thank you for whatever you can do. FOLLOW US: Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com CONNECT WITH US: If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring this content to you. Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions. Check out all of our other travel podcasts from aroundthe worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

  7. Jun 18

    LONELY PLANET: New Hampshire Wild - the Live Free Road Trip

    Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast There is a state in New England where ancient mountains rise above the treeline into bare Arctic tundra, where sheer granite summits look out over oceans of forests, and where one of the fastest wind speeds ever recorded was once clocked here at 231 miles per hour. But New Hampshire is also the place where Thoreau came to reflect, Thornton Wilder was inspired to write his seminal play Our Town, and the oldest summer stock company in America stills performs in an 18th century barn. New Hampshire is art and adventure, natural wonders and quintessential charm. But most of all, like the state’s nickname suggests, it is a place to live free and to the fullest. In today’s episode we set off on a seven-day road trip through three of the state’s most rugged and fascinating regions - from backpacking in the White Mountains and scrambling up waterfalls to discovering art inspired by nature, and nature infused with an artistic eye. Get ready for the Live Free Road Trip. Highlights include: Hiking the Presidential Traverse - three days, and four peaks above 5,000 feet, including Mt Washington, the highest (and windiest) summit in New England.Discovering the ‘business class of backpacking’ staying in the Apallachain Mountain Club’s backcountry huts - three-course dinners, epic views, and cosy beds.Finding out about the MacDowell Institute, a legendary artists' residency founded in 1907, whose past guests include Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, James Baldwin, Thornton Wilder and hundreds of other world-class artists.Hiking Mount Monadnock - reputedly the second most climbed mountain in the world after Mount Fuji, with views across New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. Hear why this was one of Thoreau’s favorite hikes! FIND OUT MORE Produced in collaboration with Lonely Planet: LonelyPlanet.com Find inspiration, itineraries and everything you need - including how to book this exact road trip - at visitnh.gov (Visit New Hampshire) or follow them on social at @VisitNH Thank you to our guests: Marielle Fibish, senior outdoor guide at the Appalachian Mountain Club.Find out more at: outdoors.org Ben Cote, Newport local and outdoor fanatic. Connect with him at tracylibrary.org Michelle Stahl, Executive Director at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture. Find out more at monadnockcenter.org Know Someone Who Needs This? If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favour — send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Or go old school and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint. Every single share genuinely moves the needle. FOLLOW US: Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast CONNECT WITH US: If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring these stories to you. Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Produced by Armchair Productions Check out all of our other travel podcasts from aroundthe worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

  8. Jun 12

    LONELY PLANET: Beneath an Auroral Sky - Sailing Norway's Arctic Coast

    Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast There is a place at the top of the world where the land runs out, a sheer thousand-foot cliff rising straight from the Arctic Ocean, and nothing beyond it but open sea all the way to the North Pole. This is the North Cape - the northernmost point of continental Europe and getting there means sailing one of the most spectacular coastlines on Earth. From Oslo, we travel north through towering fjords and fishing villages so remote the ship is their only connection to the outside world. We pass the Lofoten Islands rising like a mountain range planted in the middle of the ocean, Alta - nicknamed the Northern Lights City - and on into the deep Arctic silence of Finnmark. Norway's coast is not just beautiful. It is staggering. The Northern Lights wait for us there too. The Sami called them Govsov - the light you can hear, the light that speaks. Science calls them solar particles colliding with the earth's atmosphere. But standing beneath them, none of that matters. What you are seeing is the invisible touch of our sun, raining down in colour all around you - and it is unlike anything you have ever experienced before. Join host Aaron Millar, and two expert guests, as we set sail on the North Cape Line with the legendary adventure ships of Hurtigruten. This is more than an expedition cruise, it is a journey to the edge of the world along one of the most awe-inspiring coastlines in the world in search of the Aurora at its most breathtaking. Produced in Armchair Explorer's signature documentary style, this immersive audio adventure is designed not just to let you hear what it's like to chase the Northern Lights along the Norwegian coast - but to feel it. Highlights include: Sailing the Trollfjord - a fjord so narrow it feels like you could reach out and touch the mountains on either side, sheer walls of rock and snow rising straight from the water around you.Standing at the North Cape - the northernmost point in Europe where beyond the cliff edge there nothing but the Arctic Ocean, all the way to the North Pole.Sitting inside a Sami Lavvu - warm with firelight and wood smoke - hearing stories, sharing food and listening to yoik, the ancient song form where every melody carries the spirit of a specific person, animal or place.Husky sledding into the Arctic wilderness - the moment the dogs stop barking, set off, and everything goes utterly silent. Just you, the animals, and the snow.The food of Norway's coast - fresh Arctic cod from the world's largest cod fishery in Lofoten, king crab hauled from the icy waters of Finnmark and cooked within the hour, cheese from a family farm whose recipes are 300 years old, and wild herbs foraged from cliff edges above the fjords.The Aurora itself - the crowning corona, where the lights rain down in every direction around you - “like taking a dream out of your head and placing it into the sky” FIND OUT MORE Produced in collaboration with Lonely Planet: LonelyPlanet.com This journey is run by expedition cruise company Hurtigruten, whose ships have sailed this coastline for generations. This is what they promise: If you're on one of their 11-day or longer voyage during the Auroral season and the Lights don't appear, they'll give you another chance on a future sailing at no extra cost. Find out more at hurtigruten.com Connect with expert Aurora chaser Tom Kerss at TomKerss.com or follow him on Instagram at @tomkerss Thank you also to Andre Pettersen, the man behind Hurtigruten's extraordinary food and community connections along the Norwegian coast. Know Someone Who Needs This? If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favour - send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Or go old school and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint. Every single share genuinely moves the needle. Hit the share button in your podcast app - it takes about ten seconds, and helps us continue to bring these stories to you. FOLLOW US: Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast CONNECT WITH US: If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show, and means you won’t miss an episode (we’ve got some good ones coming up!). Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at Armchair-Productions.com Check out all of our other travel podcasts from aroundthe worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

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4.8
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Award-winning podcast featuring travel documentaries recorded on location, immersive adventure stories, deep dives into cultures around the world, and inspiration for how to life to the fullest. Hailed as “inspiring storytelling” by the New York Times, and “Ear candy for listeners” by the Washington Post. Two-time Webby Nominee Best Society & Culture Podcast

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