Unpacked by AFAR
Unpacked by AFAR unpacks one tricky topic in travel each week. We're here to help you navigate the travel world, whether you want to hack your points and miles, figure out where to travel next, or need advice on an ethical dilemma. Because the world is complicated. We're here to help you unpack it.
Episodes
April 18, 2024 • 45 mins
This week on Unpacked, we travel north to Toronto, Ontario, one of the world’s most diverse cities to explore what’s made it that way—and how we as travelers can best engage with it.
Meet this week’s guests
Bruce Bell, St. Lawrence Market historian and tour guide
Matthew Jordan, founder of Hidden Rivers walking tours
Elizabeth Semmelhack, curator at the Bata Shoe Museum
Karen Carter, cofounder of BAND
Chef Nuit Regular, f...
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Summer is coming. And while it's not looking like this season will be as insane as summer 2023, it's still best to begin planning now. So on this week’s episode of Unpacked, AFAR's mighty destination teams discusses what's to come. They share the best places to visit this summer—think Southern Hemisphere—and what you need to tackle now to stay ahead of the came. Plus, we unpack the best visa expeditors and the best way to use those...
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April 4, 2024 • 34 mins
The best hotels are a destination unto themselves. On this week’s episode of Unpacked, AFAR senior deputy editor Jennifer Flowers reveals the 31 properties that made our 2024 Best New Hotels list and why booking a hotel is the most important choice you’ll make for your trip.
The list is a collection of the best hotels that opened in the past year, but these hotels are much more than just a place to sleep and store your clothes. The...
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March 28, 2024 • 32 mins
Hot tip: Don’t listen to this week’s episode of Unpacked hungry. Because we’re traveling to a surprising Midwestern city to explore what makes it one of the most fascinating food cities in the country. Last June, host Aislyn Greene traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, and was surprised by what she found: A refreshingly progressive, highly bikeable, very outdoorsy, and (best yet), delicious city.
If you're a food-motivated traveler, you...
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March 21, 2024 • 17 mins
If you travel to a remote island resort, where do the people who work there live? Because of course, if we are traveling to a remote location, it’s highly unlikely that it’s an easy place for hotel staff to commute to and from. Typically on an island resort, staffers are housed in the middle of the island and don’t have access to the beach, the walking paths, or any of the amenities that make these destinations so appealing to trav...
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March 14, 2024 • 41 mins
Where will you be on April 8, 2024? In case that date isn’t burned into your brain, it’s the day the sun, Earth, and the moon will completely align, creating a total solar eclipse that will sweep over a section of the United States. It will plunge cities around the U.S.—from Austin, Texas, to Buffalo, New York, into darkness for up to four minutes and 27 seconds and, according to our guest today, will be “the greatest science event...
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March 7, 2024 • 33 mins
Unpacked, and host Aislyn Greene, are in Toronto this week! So we're resharing one of our most popular episodes from last season, because who doesn't need help sleeping from time to time?
We’ve all been there: Tossing and turning on a long-haul flight, or in an unfamiliar hotel bed. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Enter Anne Bartolucci, a licensed psychologist and a certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist. She’s the foun...
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February 29, 2024 • 33 mins
Have you ever gotten stuck in indecision? Maybe it was around where to travel, or when to book your tickets, or even something as small as where to eat when you’re on the road. Well, this week’s guest is an expert at cutting through the noise and helping her clients—and now you—make fast, solid decisions. Her name is Nell McShane Wulfhart, and she’s a professional decision coach.
Does it sound like a made-up job? Nell is the first...
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February 22, 2024 • 43 mins
Money is often a taboo subject in our culture, but it has a huge impact on our lives, our futures, and yes, our travels. Danielle Desir Corbett—our guest this week—works to dispel myths and encourage transparency on her podcast, The Thought Card, and her website, thoughtcard.com, where she even posts breakdowns for the many trips she's taken. In the episode, she shares her annual travel budget, her tips on budgeting in a way that i...
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February 15, 2024 • 32 mins
In season three of Unpacked, we're introducing "Unpacking," a series that explores some of our favorite destinations around the world. First up: Albuquerque, land of hot air balloons, chiles, and some fantastic outdoor spaces. Join host Aislyn Greene as she unpacks the Southwestern city's outdoorsy roots.
Meet this week’s guests
Sarah Sheasley, director of marketing for Los Poblanos
Elaine Briseño, journalist and historian
Te...
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February 8, 2024 • 26 mins
The issue of homelessness—or being unhoused, or facing housing scarcity—isn’t something we often talk about when it comes to travel, unless it’s in a negative sense. In this episode, however, we’re going to meet a London-based tour company that’s working on bringing homelessness into the tourism narrative.
It’s called Unseen Tours, a nonprofit founded in 2010 by Jayni Gudka. It offers London tours that touch on many of the city’s ...
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February 1, 2024 • 50 mins
The world of travel loyalty programs is . . . complicated. Last year, Delta made waves when it announced that it was making radical changes to its SkyMiles program. People very quickly—and this is the technical term—freaked the eff out. So, Delta swiftly (and wisely) backpedaled.
But as I learned from this week’s expert, Paul Rubio, this isn’t the only airline that has made less-than-positive changes. Delta just took the heat. Dra...
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January 25, 2024 • 50 mins
There’s a special magic to being at sea. Watching a port retreat as a ship begins to sail, the sensation of gently (or not so gently) rocking waves, the expansiveness of open water. This week’s episode is all about that magic, whether you would label yourself a “cruiser” or not.
To get the scoop on the high seas, we’re hearing from Fran Golden, who covers the cruise world for AFAR. Fran is a bonafide cruise expert. She’s been on mo...
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January 18, 2024 • 51 mins
We're three weeks into the new year. Maybe you're a freshly minted, idealized version of yourself. Or maybe your new year's resolutions are as distant as the icebergs of Antarctica. But no matter what your life looks like, there's one thing you can count on: travel. And today, we're going to talk about the best places to travel this year, whether you want to chase eclipses, drink Uruguayan wine, or discover the coolest cities in Eu...
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January 4, 2024 • 1 min
It's a fresh new year! And we all know that this also means that there's a fresh year of travel to plan, discoveries to be made, and adventures to be had. And Unpacked by AFAR is here for you every step of the way. AFAR editors will share the places they're dreaming of visiting this year. A cruise expert will unveil the best places to cruise in 2024, as well as the best cruise lines to sail with, even if you're not a cruiser. (And ...
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September 28, 2023 • 52 mins
Winter is coming. (But not in a threatening, Game of Thrones-y kind of way.) So this week on Unpacked, AFAR’s mighty destination team is helping you prepare. We talk dreamy winter destinations, how to repurpose winter gear, the best time to fly during the holidays, and so much more.
Meet this week’s guests
Mark Ellwood, freelance travel writer
Chloe Arrojado, associate destinations editor
Tim Chester, deputy destinations edit...
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September 21, 2023 • 34 mins
Christophe Zajac-Denek is an actor, a podcaster, a traveler—and he’s 4 feet 4 inches tall. On this week’s episode of Unpacked, he shares how being a person with dwarfism has never stopped him from exploring the world.
Meet this week’s guests
Nicolle (Nikki) Galteland, Unpacked producer
Christophe Zajac-Denek, actor, surfer, and podcast host
Resources
Read this episode’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode....
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September 14, 2023 • 42 mins
You may use Google Maps every day, but how often do you think about how that map was made—and more importantly, who made it? In today’s episode of Unpacked, we do just that. You’ll never again look at a map the same way.
Meet this week’s guests
Billie Cohen, AFAR executive editor
Evan Applegate, editorial cartographer
Clinton Johnson, Antiracist Geospatial Architect
Dr. Atyia Martin, executive director of a nonprofit calle...
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September 7, 2023 • 21 mins
If you’ve been following the news, it’s been a summer of “bad tourists.” There was the woman who carved her initials into the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the drunk Brits, ahem, leaving their marks around Amsterdam. Of course, these are just the travelers who rise to the top—most people would never think of behaving this way on a trip. (Right??)
Still, it feels like the right time to explore a tool that’s trying to curb this bad behavior...
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August 31, 2023 • 36 mins
Travel insurance: It's not the sexiest subject, is it? And yet, it can play a huge role in saving you money, time, and even sanity. In this episode of Unpacked by AFAR, we speak with five experts to help you understand how to decided if and when you need insurance, the different types of policies you can buy, and how to use travel insurance if something goes wrong on your trip.
Meet this week’s guests
Wendy Perrin, travel expert
...
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