The Travel Diaries

Today I’m joined by the iconic Celia Imrie. Celia is, of course, one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, with an extraordinary career spanning more than five decades. From her unforgettable collaborations with Victoria Wood, to Bridget Jones’s Diary, Calendar Girls, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and, more recently, The Thursday Murder Club. She's one of those performers who has been part of our lives for as long as I can remember.

But what you might not know about Celia is that she is a completely insatiable traveller. She's happiest when she's on the move, whether that's aboard a glamorous ocean liner, travelling across America by train or setting off on an adventure somewhere entirely unexpected - because as you’ll soon discover, Celia doesn’t fly, so this makes for a particularly interesting episode.

Her lifelong love of travel is at the heart of her new book, The Elegant Hustler: Adventures from a Life on the Move, which is out now, a collection of stories from a life spent exploring the world.

Destination recap

Middleton-on-Sea, West Sussex, England
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Delhi, India
Melbourne, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Los Angeles, California, USA
Washington, D.C., USA
Toronto, Canada
Singapore
Paris, France
Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, France
Nice, France
Hôtel Negresco, Nice, France
Villeneuve-Loubet, France
Menton, France
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Isle of Wight, England
Southampton, England
Queen Mary 2, Cunard, Southampton to New York
New York City, USA
Coast-to-coast railway journey, USA
San Luis Obispo, California, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
Ice hotel, Norway
Japan
China

The Elegant Hustler: Adventures from a Life on the Move, which is now.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Design & Travel Editor, Amira Hashish,

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by the brilliant Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director at The Standard, whose job involves knowing exactly where’s worth going and what’s worth your precious time off.

And there’s so much inspiration in this conversation. If you’re already dreading the clocks going back, Suzannah has some very tempting ideas for extending your summer, with a little help from her Spanish family connections. There’s the seaside spot she returns to again and again, and a food-filled Italian escape that had me mentally checking flights before we’d finished talking.

We also hear how a rather adventurous first meeting led to some extraordinary dates around the world, including a trip to New Orleans, which ties in beautifully with this week’s Louisiana Destination Special.

And my Hotel of the Week is a Greek island favourite that promises to solve a few of those familiar family holiday dilemmas. Having finally been myself, I’ve got plenty to tell you.

Destination Recap:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Inns of Aurora, Aurora, USA
Peligoni, Zakynthos, Greece
Villa Kallista, Zakynthos, Greece
Nobelos Bio Restaurant, Zakynthos, Greece
Eliamos, Kefalonia, Greece
Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Italy
Cremeria Santo Stefano, Bologna, Italy
Cremeria La Vecchia Stalla, Bologna, Italy
Cremeria Cavour, Bologna, Italy
Palacio Bucarelli, Seville, Spain
Cristine Bedfor, Seville, Spain
Royal Alcázar, Seville, Spain
Seville Cathedral, Seville, Spain
Plaza de España, Seville, Spain
María Luisa Park, Seville, Spain
Triana, Seville, Spain
La Viña, Cádiz, Spain
Casa Manteca, Cádiz, Spain
La Caleta, Cádiz, Spain
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Seoul, South Korea

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

I’ll be back on Tuesday.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the jazz clubs and Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans to the swamps, dance halls and small towns of Acadiana, this Destination Special explores a side of Louisiana, USA that many visitors never get to see.

We travel west along Interstate 10 into the heart of Cajun and Creole country, a region shaped by its French language, distinctive music, extraordinary food and deep connection to the surrounding bayous.

Louisiana travel and culture writer Herman Fuselier shares the traditions behind Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras, introduces the sounds of Cajun and Zydeco music, and explains why the true heart of Cajun country lies beyond New Orleans.

Cajun French musician Jourdan Thibodeaux joins me from his home on Cypress Island, overlooking the Atchafalaya Basin. We discuss language, identity, life in the swamp and the importance of experiencing South Louisiana authentically.

Finally, Lori Johnson Walls of Johnson’s Boucanière in Lafayette introduces the dishes every first-time visitor should try, from crawfish étouffée and po’boys to beignets and a proper Louisiana boudin.

Destination Recap

Cities, towns and regions

New Orleans, USA
Baton Rouge, USA
Acadiana, USA
Atchafalaya Basin, USA
Lafayette, USA
Breaux Bridge, USA
Opelousas, USA
Eunice, USA
New Iberia, USA
Lake Charles, USA
Sunset, USA
Arnaudville, USA
Washington, USA
Cypress Island, USA
Henderson, USA
Mamou, USA
Avery Island, USA
Vacherie, USA

Places mentioned
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, USA
French Quarter, New Orleans, USA
Café du Monde, New Orleans, USA
Eunice Cajun Mardi Gras, Eunice, USA
La Poussière Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, USA
Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Breaux Bridge, USA
El Sido’s Zydeco & Blues Club, Lafayette, USA
Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Lafayette, USA
Johnson’s Boucanière, Lafayette, USA
Dwyer’s Café, Lafayette, USA
Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, Lafayette, USA
Olde Tyme Grocery, Lafayette, USA
Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Lafayette, USA
Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, Opelousas, USA
DezMeaux’s Boudin, Opelousas, USA
Steamboat Warehouse Restaurant, Washington, USA
Hotel Klaus, Washington, USA
Fred’s Lounge, Mamou, USA
Cypress Cove Landing Houseboats, Henderson, USA
TABASCO Factory and Avery Island, Avery Island, USA
Laura Plantation, Vacherie, USA

To find out more about visiting Louisiana, go to ExploreLouisiana.com.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director for The Standard.

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, I’m joined by Sarah Allard, Digital Director of Condé Nast Traveller, for your weekly weekend dose of wanderlust.

Sarah’s job takes her to some extraordinary places, and today she’s sharing the trips, hotels and foodie finds she thinks should be on your radar. We start with the growing appeal of Northern Europe, including the Danish island of Bornholm, before heading to New York for her 40th birthday celebrations. Expect bagels, martinis and a few days in the Hudson Valley, where pretty towns, farm shops and gorgeous hotels make the perfect contrast to Manhattan.

We’re also talking Greek island favourites, from the spectacular restaurant setting that won Sarah over on Sifnos to a new hotel on Paros.

My Hotel of the Week is Monastero Santa Rosa on the Amalfi Coast, where I found what might just be my favourite swimming pool in the world.

And if you’re looking for somewhere closer to home this autumn, Sarah answers a listener’s question about cosy British boutique stays, with two delicious recommendations in Somerset and Devon.

Destination Recap

Sweden
Finland
The Lofoten Islands, Norway
Bornholm, Denmark
New York City, USA
The Hudson Valley, New York, USA
INNESS, Accord, New York, USA
The Catskills, New York, USA
Wildflower Farms, Auberge Collection, Gardiner, New York, USA
Rhinebeck, New York, USA
Athens, Greece
Sifnos, Greece
Faros, Sifnos, Greece
NÓS Hotel & Villas, Sifnos, Greece
Paros, Greece
Luura Paros Cliff, Paros, Greece
Santorini, Greece
Mykonos, Greece
Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland
The Amalfi Coast, Italy
Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa, Conca dei Marini, Italy
Amalfi, Italy
Positano, Italy
Capri, Italy
Bruton, Somerset, England
Number One Bruton, Bruton, England
At the Chapel, Bruton, England
Glebe House, East Devon, England
India
The River Nile, Egypt
One&Only Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, Montana, USA
Edinburgh, Scotland
Glasgow, Scotland
The Scottish Highlands, Scotland
Hope by WildLand, Sutherland, Scotland

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you. You can also send me your travel questions for a future episode of Unpacked at thetraveldiarespodcast@gmail.com

With thanks to...
Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is returning to the podcast after 5 years! TV presenter, adventurer and explorer Steve Backshall is one of the most travelled people in the world, and one of the best story tellers - so he is the ultimate Travel Diaries guest.

Just listening back to his first episode in preparation for today was a reminder of what an amazing episode that was - if you haven’t listened to that scroll back and listen to that first, because his life is so interesting, and then come back and listen to this one!

It was so lovely to meet him in person this time, just last week. We filmed this in London, and it was really good fun putting some of your new travel diaries chapters to him - his answers were sensational. When somebody has been to this many places it's hard to know where to start, but I think that you're going to be absolutely captivated by Steve's stories, as I was.

So from Suriname to the Scilly Isles, Jerusalem to Alaska, and so much more, here’s Steve.

**Listeners - there's a strange video with the loading of Apple Podcasts' video today, so I'm reuploading this as an audio only file until it resolves.**

Destination recap

West Cornwall, England
Land’s End, England
South Africa
Suriname
Alaska, USA
Juneau, USA
The Azores, Portugal
Dominica
Colombia
Papua New Guinea
New Britain, Papua New Guinea
New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
New Caledonia
Yucatán, Mexico
Cancún, Mexico
Tulum, Mexico
Bimini, The Bahamas
The Isles of Scilly, England
St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly
Jerusalem
Tel Aviv, Israel
The Negev Desert, Israel
Kyrgyzstan
Northeast Greenland, Greenland

Steve’s Deadly Live tour begins in October. Find out more here.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Conde Nast Traveller’s Digital Director, Sarah Allard.

With thanks to...

Kimpton Los Monteros - a five-star hotel for discovering the best of Marbella.

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.