Talk Travel Asia - podcast cover

Talk Travel Asia

Talk Travel Asiasoundcloud.com
With more than 40-collective years living and working in Asia, co-hosts Trevor Ranges and Scott Coates know the ins and outs of travel in the region, and love sharing them. Having spent over a decade as a travel writer for the likes of National Geographic and Fodors, Trevor implicitly understands how to see and figure a destination out. Scott has spent much of his time crafting bespoke adventures as the co-founder of a luxury travel company and knows how to make travel truly flow. Whether traveling as pros or exploring as amateurs, they share their passion for travel in Asia with you on Talk Travel Asia.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

ArAnna 4 Ever - Amazon Launch

Book 2 of Trevor's supernatural rom-com mystery drops on December 8, 2024. If you've enjoyed Q1, The Einstein Event, please go to Amazon and leave a review. Otherwise, the second installment, ArAnna 4 Ever is available for $2.99 - visit TalkTravelAsia.com for links to the books or search for ArAnna on Amazon.

Dec 07, 20242 min

The Einstein Event - Part 6

Trevor takes over the podcast for six weeks to read the first quarter of his fictional saga: ArAnna, the millennium mom-and-dad supercouple who change the world. The embodiment of the all-American family, the Joneses of New Hope, Virginia stand at the fulcrum of human history. Caught at the center of an unexplainable global phenomenon, their search to solve a supernatural mystery leads them to every continent, where the lessons of traditional cultures present themselves as guideposts toward the ...

Nov 30, 202441 min

The Einstein Event - Part 5

Trevor takes over the podcast for six weeks to read the first quarter of his fictional saga: ArAnna, the millennium mom-and-dad supercouple who change the world. The embodiment of the all-American family, the Joneses of New Hope, Virginia stand at the fulcrum of human history. Caught at the center of an unexplainable global phenomenon, their search to solve a supernatural mystery leads them to every continent, where the lessons of traditional cultures present themselves as guideposts toward the ...

Nov 23, 202440 min

The Einstein Event - Part 4

Trevor takes over the podcast for six weeks to read the first quarter of his fictional saga: ArAnna, the millennium mom-and-dad supercouple who change the world. The embodiment of the all-American family, the Joneses of New Hope, Virginia stand at the fulcrum of human history. Caught at the center of an unexplainable global phenomenon, their search to solve a supernatural mystery leads them to every continent, where the lessons of traditional cultures present themselves as guideposts toward the ...

Nov 16, 202438 min

The Einstein Event - Part 3

Trevor takes over the podcast for six weeks to read the first quarter of his fictional saga: ArAnna, the millennium mom-and-dad supercouple who change the world. The embodiment of the all-American family, the Joneses of New Hope, Virginia stand at the fulcrum of human history. Caught at the center of an unexplainable global phenomenon, their search to solve a supernatural mystery leads them to every continent, where the lessons of traditional cultures present themselves as guideposts toward the ...

Nov 10, 202432 min

The Einstein Event - Part 2

Trevor takes over the podcast for six weeks to read the first quarter of his fictional saga: ArAnna, the millennium mom-and-dad supercouple who change the world. The embodiment of the all-American family, the Joneses of New Hope, Virginia stand at the fulcrum of human history. Caught at the center of an unexplainable global phenomenon, their search to solve a supernatural mystery leads them to every continent, where the lessons of traditional cultures present themselves as guideposts toward the ...

Nov 03, 202432 min

The Einstein Event - Part I

Trevor takes over the podcast for six weeks to read the first quarter of his fictional saga: ArAnna, the millennium mom-and-dad supercouple who change the world. The embodiment of the all-American family, the Joneses of New Hope, Virginia stand at the fulcrum of human history. Caught at the center of an unexplainable global phenomenon, their search to solve a supernatural mystery leads them to every continent, where the lessons of traditional cultures present themselves as guideposts toward the ...

Oct 27, 202431 min

SPECIAL EPISODE: Introducing ArAnna, Trevor's Fictional Saga

The embodiment of the all-American family, the Joneses of New Hope, Virginia stand at the fulcrum of human history. Caught at the center of an unexplainable global phenomenon, their search to solve a supernatural mystery leads them to remote corners of Earth, where the lessons of traditional cultures present themselves as guideposts toward the survival of the human species –if the bonds of love are strong enough to keep their family together.

Oct 17, 20242 min

Ep 200: A Look Back

When Scott and Trevor started this podcast back in 2014 they didn’t think much about where the show would take them. A decade later, celebrating the 200th episode of Talk Travel Asia, they have discussed nearly every country in Asia, with over 100 experts on the region. Join them as they take a look back over 200 episode of Talk Travel Asia!!

Jul 15, 202433 min

Ep. 199: Adding Pizzazz to your Asian Trip with Daniel Fraser

Some of us travel more than others. A few are blessed with a career in travel and learn the ins and outs so well that sometimes the exotic can become ordinary. Many have far less time to travel, particularly for fun, and must dream and plan for that special adventure for years. Today, we’ll share experiences of the former to enhance those of the latter, sharing tips and tricks to add some memorable pizzazz to your next Asian holiday with our guest and good friend, Daniel Fraser.

Jul 01, 202449 min

Ep. 198: Snakes in Asia with Mark Dainty

Snakes are abundant in much of Asia, particularly SE Asia. Visitors to the region might be seeking them out as part of a wildlife holiday, but likely many more persons at some point during their journey are thinking about how they can avoid snakes during a trip. But alas, snakes are likely not as dangerous as some might think and even if you’re not here to see snakes, perhaps there are some good rules of thumb you can follow to see them, or avoid them. On this episode we’ll talk with a man who w...

Jun 15, 202448 min

Ep. 197: Traveling Iraq with John Fiddler

When one thinks of Iraq, they likely aren’t considering it as their next holiday destination. Those more familiar with the country know its location in the Fertile Crescent was responsible for the earliest human civilizations to call Iraq home. But one must also wonder if decades of war has left any remaining history of ancient Babylonia available for tourists to visit. Is it even secure enough to explore the sites along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers or the more mountainous regions of the nort...

Jun 01, 202439 min

Ep. 196: How Asia has had a Lasting Impact on Us

Between the two of us, Trevor and I have lived and worked in Asia for nearly 50-years. This has also coincided with most of our adult years, when people tend to discover more about who they really are and more fully form as individuals. But damn, 50-years is a long amount of time to live in what was a foreign land and is now simply ‘home’. This got us reminiscing about how we’ve changed while living in Asia, mostly for the better. There have been some life-changing items, we feel we’re now bette...

May 15, 202439 min

Ep. 195: Harry Mitsidis - ‘The World's Most Traveled Man’ - on his travels to Tajikistan

Tajikistan, one of several former Soviet republics located along the Silk Road linking Europe and Asia, may be one of the least well known — and least visited — tourist destinations in Asia. Over several episodes touching on the central Asian nations colloquially known as ‘the Stans’ we’ve explored Tajikistan briefly, including an episode with Lonely Planet writer Bradley Mayhew about Central Asia. This week, we’ll chat with a man some consider the ‘World’s most traveled’ and we’ll put his knowl...

May 01, 202439 min

Ep.194: Exploring Asian UNESCO World Heritage Sites Part 2

When we travel, many of us hope to experience an exotic culture or visit a spectacular natural attraction. Often these are chosen based on recommendations from family and friends or may be long-awaited bucket list destinations. Little do many of us know, however, that the United Nations has already selected more than 1000 such sites, hundreds of which are in Asia. These World Heritage Sites are some of the most impressive destinations on Earth, and we’ll discuss some today that you may wish to c...

Apr 15, 202437 min

Ep. 193: Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority provinces with Ryan Ver Berkmoes

One of the world’s most exotic islands, Sri Lanka boasts diverse culture and religious beliefs, as well as considerable natural beauty. After five decades of civil war, peace in Sri Lanka opened the island to international travel in 2009; a decade later, a burgeoning tourism was nipped in the bud by COVID. Today, we’ll have a guest with great knowledge about the island – from a tourism perspective, in particular – who will share some of his top tips for visitors looking to explore this exotic is...

Apr 01, 202435 min

Patron Bonus: Traveling Japan by Phone w Chris Rowthorn

On this Patron bonus episode (usually only for Patrons of the show but we're sharing with everyone this time) we chat with Inside Kyoto and Chris Rowthorn Tours.com founder, Chris Rowthorn, about an experiment where he tried to travel Japan just using his phone. And he shares tips on how you can setup your phone for travel in the country.

Mar 24, 202416 min

Ep. 192: Royal Palaces of Asia (with BKK Podcast)

As expats who have lived in Asia for almost 25-years each - how’s that possible! - we recently got thinking about our proximity to famous, royal palaces. Scott is not so far from Bangkok’s Grand Palace and Trevor for many years lived very close to Cambodia’s Khemarin Palace. That got us thinking about other royal palaces we’ve been to throughout Asia, along with ones we have not yet visited. Then we wondered what constitutes a royal palace? We bumped into our friends Greg & Ed from the Bangk...

Mar 15, 202453 min

Ep. 191: Patron Adventures in Asia - David Rockman on Family Travel Bali

From time to time we receive messages from Talk Travel Asia listeners about their travels in Asia and we’re glad to have inspired or assisted them with their experiences. After some recent back and forths with several patrons about their Asian adventures, we decided to David Rockman to come on the show and share about his adult family trip to Bali so you can learn about it and perhaps find some inspiration for your next journey there.

Mar 01, 202428 min

Ep. 190: Japan by Train with Ryan Ver Berkmoes

Ryan Ver Berkmoes has authored over 130 guidebooks to destinations worldwide, including Lonely Planet guidebooks for Oahu, Hawaii, Indonesia, Crete, and Sri Lanka. Today he joins us from Greece to talk about traveling Japan by train on Talk Travel Asia podcast with Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges.

Feb 15, 202433 min

Ep. 189: Sneak Preview of Upcoming Episodes

As we near 200 episodes of Talk Travel Asia, on one hand we sometimes wonder what we could possibly still talk about, and on the other, we’re continually looking to up our game, think of topics we have not yet considered, and get even more interesting guests to share with us. We hope you have enjoyed the travel chat thus far and we have good news - we’re not slowing down. As we move further into 2024, we have a pretty sweet lineup of episodes ahead and thought it might be fun to share what’s com...

Feb 01, 202425 min

Ep. 188: Patron Adventures in Asia - Donna Kitchen

Donna Kitchen and her husband recently returned from a 3 month trip through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Koh Lanta, Thailand. It was their first trip to all but Thailand, where they traveled previously in 1994. As a couple in their 50s who use the IG handle (notsogreytravellers.com), Donna and her companion traveled as glampackers, using local transport as much as possible. Donna started a blog about her travels, but never finished it, so she’s hoping we can help document her adventures on our po...

Jan 15, 202431 min

Ep. 187: Trevor’s First Trip to Asia

One’s first trip to Asia. It’s something few forget. The smells, the sounds, the crowds, big cities, wild landscapes, exotic food, a sometimes frenetic pace, tropical beaches, incredible mountains - you’re in Asia! We recently got chatting about our early trips to the continent, started to feel old, or perhaps well-experienced, and thought it might be fun to recount our initial journeys here. Reflect on those initial impressions and contrast it to our current lives and how we see things now. In ...

Jan 01, 202439 min

Ep. 186: Slow Travel with Stuart McDonald of Travelfish

Slow travel is a buzzword that’s been kicking around a while. A “trend” in the travel industry, some might say, in the vein of ecotourism. Just as the terminology has evolved from global warming to climate change, however, more humans are increasingly considering their footprint, both on the environment and on the destinations they visit, often in an economic way. If slow travel means more than massive exhaust output of air travel – if slow travel means picking one particular destination instead...

Dec 15, 202352 min

Ep. 185: Scott’s First Trip to Asia

One’s first trip to Asia: it’s something hard to forget. The smells, the sounds, the crowds, big cities, wild landscapes, exotic food, a sometimes frenetic pace, tropical beaches, incredible mountains - you’re in Asia! We recently got chatting about our early trips to the continent, started to feel old, or perhaps well-experienced, and thought it might be fun to recount our initial journeys here, reflect on those first impressions and contrast it to our current lives and how we see things now. I...

Dec 01, 202331 min

Ep. 184: Wild Journey to Kashmir and Ladakh with Dave Stamboulis

Those are the opening lines of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir, a “musical and metaphorical drive toward some irresistible far-off horizon”. The song has long-enticed me with it’s melodic mysticism, and when former guest Dave Stamboulis told me that he’d, quote, “Just completed a rather wild journey to Kashmir and Ladakh,” I knew that we had to have him back on the show to tell us more about these spectacular areas of India, a country we’ve been eager to explore more on Talk Travel Asia.

Nov 15, 202350 min

Ep. 183: Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan

When most people think of Asia, the countries that come to mind aren’t likely to be those we’re about to discuss today. Located in Western Asia, on the border of Eastern Europe, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan are countries most westerners are largely unfamiliar with at all. That's all the more reason to learn a bit about them, as each has unique cultures, history, and tourist attractions that make them fascinating destinations. Today, show co-host Scott Coates will share his experience traveli...

Nov 01, 202342 min

Ep. 182: Travel in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

A.I. - Artificial Intelligence. It’s almost the only thing anyone is talking about in some circles. AI seems to be everywhere nowadays and creative industry workers are panicking over being replaced. On the other end of the spectrum, those already using it to produce grant proposals or file TPS reports rave about AI’s efficiency and accuracy, saving them countless hours on otherwise tedious chores. But what about travel? Are AI travel agents, AI-generated travel guidebooks, and AI trip planners ...

Oct 15, 202330 min

Ep. 181: Myanmar to Holland by Car with Edwin Briels

Road trips are one of travel’s great forms of adventures. From the Griswald’s cross-country family vacation to Wally World to my own explorations of Eastern Cambodia to design tours for international visitors, the road trip is a time-honored tradition. Nowadays, one might imagine traveling by camper-van to Mexico or Central America, or even renting a car in the north of Japan and driving it south from island to island, but who would ever imagine taking a road trip by car from Myanmar to Holland?...

Oct 01, 202346 min

Ep. 180: Exploring Asian UNESCO World Heritage Sites

When we travel, many of us hope to experience an exotic culture or visit a spectacular natural attraction. Often these are chosen based on recommendations from family and friends or may be long-awaited bucket list destinations. Little do many of us know, however, that the United Nations has already selected more than 1000 such sites, hundreds of which are in Asia. These World Heritage Sites are some of the most impressive destinations on Earth, and we’ll discuss some today that you may wish to c...

Sep 15, 202335 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android