The Well-Travelled Podcast Virginia Stuart-Taylor

This bonus episode of The Well-Travelled Podcast is live from my month-long trip to the Greek island of Kefalonia - my first trip abroad in 8 months due to the pandemic. It's both an insight into the uncertainty, stress and challenges of travelling abroad from the UK during a pandemic, and also a postcard of the island, offering a guide to the best villages, beaches, hikes, restaurants, vineyards and activities in Kefalonia. These snippets will put you in my shoes and transport you to an almost empty deserted in the Ionian Sea, to show you how I'm spending this month in paradise and very possibly even put Kefalonia on your travel wishlist.

If you'd like to read more about my travels, head to my travel blog TheWell-TravelledPostcard.com and subscribe to receive new posts.

You can also connect with me at @VStuartTaylor on Instagram and Twitter.

This bonus episode of The Well-Travelled Podcast is live from my trip to the Côte d’Argent in south-west France - my first trip abroad since the pandemic began. It's a postcard of the place, offering a flavour of the Atlantic coastline, the markets and cuisine of the area; the history of why I've been visiting it since I was little; and how I'm spending this trip (including my tips for studying French and for a digital detox). These snippets from my trip will transport you to the little-known but well-kept secret of Europe's longest beach, with its sand dunes overlooking surf-perfect waves, and its cycle trails through remote pine forests, a stone's throw from the vineyards of Bordeaux.

If you'd like to read more about my travels, head to my travel blog TheWell-TravelledPostcard.com and subscribe to receive new posts.

You can also connect with me at @VStuartTaylor on Instagram and Twitter.

The tenth episode of The Well-Travelled Podcast is all about how we as travellers and the travel industry should recover from the pandemic, by prioritising long-term sustainability, and reframing our mindset and attitudes towards to travel, to avoid falling back into the trap of mass tourism at pre-pandemic levels. It starts with an overview of how the world reached a state of overtourism. We then turn to the actions that governments, the travel industry, tourism marketers and we as individuals should take to capitalise on this unique moment in time, during the pandemic, to re-design travel and build back better and more sustainably in future, to save the world's treasures for decades and generations to come.



If you're keen to find out more, take a read of these posts on my travel blog, The Well-Travelled Postcard:


How to Save the World from Mass Tourism: https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2017/08/20/how-to-save-the-world-from-mass-tourism/
12 Ways that Travel Changed Forever in the 2010s: https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2020/04/20/looking-back-on-the-2010s-part-iii-12-ways-that-travel-changed-forever/
How Hollywood defines Europe’s identity: https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/portfolio/how-hollywood-defines-europes-identity/



You can also connect with me at @VStuartTaylor on Instagram and Twitter.

The ninth episode of The Well-Travelled Podcast is an interview with a special guest, one of my Inspiring Individuals Nicholas Stuart-Taylor, as we hear about his expedition to climb to the summit of Mont Blanc at 4,808m altitude, and ski back down again. We discuss the family history of summiting Mont Blanc, which my great-great-grandfather achieved back in 1879, and I attempted in 2017. He explains the training and fitness involved, and the 3-day expedition itself: avoiding crevasses while crossing glaciers, staying in mountain huts and climbing through the night. We cover the factors to consider when planning a challenge like this, as well as his advice and lessons learned.
If you're keen to find out more about my own preparation to climb Mont Blanc just on foot, take a read of this post on my travel blog, The Well-Travelled Postcard:
One week to Mont Blanc! Training and Preparations for the Summit: https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2017/06/08/one-week-to-mont-blanc-training-and-preparations-for-the-summit/
You can also connect with me at @VStuartTaylor on Instagram and Twitter.

The eighth episode of The Well-Travelled Podcast is all about how to actually set about learning a foreign language, based on my experience in gaining (and importantly maintaining) fluency in 3 languages, and recently starting a new language from scratch. It starts with identifying your motivations, and finding the right level and method to suit you. I include a whole menu of self-learning methods I've discovered outside of the classroom, and my top tips for integrating language learning into your daily and weekly routines, to reach proficiency and even fluency.

If you're keen to find out more, take a read of these two posts on my travel blog, The Well-Travelled Postcard: 


4 Steps to Pick-up a Language you Haven’t Learned Since School: https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2018/11/19/4-steps-to-pick-up-a-language-you-havent-learned-since-school/
Why Every Pupil Should Study a Foreign Language at A-Level: https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2016/11/14/why-every-pupil-should-study-a-foreign-language-at-a-level/

You can also connect with me at @VStuartTaylor on Instagram and Twitter.

The seventh episode of The Well-Travelled Podcast is all about the different ways to save money and make travel more affordable. I share the golden nugget of financial advice that I received, which allowed me to live and travel abroad without a monthly salary, while taking a sabbatical and doing a Master's degree in my mid- and late-twenties. I also discuss ways to make your money stretch further when you travel and how to travel even when on a strict budget. 

If you're keen to find out more, take a read of these two posts on my travel blog, The Well-Travelled Postcard: 


Why “Save Money” is the Most Important Advice of your 20s: https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2017/04/07/why-save-money-is-the-most-important-advice-of-your-20s/ 
How To Find Money for Travel (& the Secret Behind How I Afford to Travel So Much): https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2015/01/19/how-to-find-money-for-travel-the-secret-behind-how-i-afford-to-travel-so-much/

You can also connect with me at @VStuartTaylor on Instagram and Twitter.