Have you ever dreamed of working in marine conservation or diving with manta rays? But you don't have a science degree? In this episode, your host Clara Francken speaks with Maddie Howarth, a passionate scuba diver, content creator, and ocean advocate, who proves you don’t need a marine biology degree to make waves for the planet. From a high school dream to filming dolphin research and marine wild life in Greece to diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef - Maddie shares her journey of combining c...
Jun 19, 2025•52 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Thibault Constant, the creator behind the YouTube channel Simply Railway, talks about the reality of traveling by train across the U.S. In this episode of Travel Devil, host Clara Francken sits down with Thibault to talk about Amtrak, the national railway company in the United States. Thibault has crisscrossed North America by rail, documenting night trains, scenic sleepers, and cross-country chaos. Together, we explore how Amtrak compares to European rail systems, what it’s like to sleep in a c...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 31
When we talk about sustainable travel, we often focus on carbon footprints and eco-hotels. But what about the local people? In this episode of Travel Devil, your host Clara Francken talks to Joanna Kalafatis. Joanna is a travel writer, photographer, and author of the Best of Greece Moon Guide. Today we talk about what it really means to travel responsibly in Greece. Together, we explored how to support local economies and go beyond the typical tourist experience. With insights from Joanna’s Gree...
Apr 24, 2025•51 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Vanlife offers freedom, adventure, and breathtaking landscapes, but what about its environmental impact? In this episode, your host Clara Francken sits down with Alise from Outdoor Nerds to dive into the reality of vanlife in Canada. Beyond the Instagram-worthy views, we explore what it takes to live on the road while keeping sustainability in mind. What we cover in this episode: The true environmental footprint of vanlife, how much fuel does it really take, how to build an eco-friendly van? The...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Can you be a cyclist, a mother, and a content creator—all at once? Fatima Berton (@bertoniiii) proves that you can. In this episode of Travel Devil , we dive into bike touring as a family , the realities of women in professional cycling , and how Fatima balances life on two wheels with motherhood. From competing at a pro level while working full-time to challenging stereotypes about what’s possible as a mom, Fatima shares her inspiring journey of resilience, adventure, and passion. Why she left ...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 28
When we talk about sustainable travel, we often focus on the environment, but what about personal safety? In this episode of Travel Devil, we explore the challenges women face when using public transport, particularly trains. With real-life experiences and eye-opening statistics - like the fact that 93% of s3xual violence victims on Parisian public transport are women, and 26% are underaged girls - this episode sheds light on an issue that affects millions of travelers worldwide. We’ll discuss: ...
Feb 20, 2025•27 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Would you cycle 6,500 km to highlight climate change? For Guillaume Otrage, the answer was yes. Instead of hopping on a plane to attend the COP29 Climate Conference, he went on a six-month bicycle journey from Paris to Baku. Together with a team of volunteers and participants, the aim was to deliver 10 proposals to leverage cycling for climate protection. In this episode of Travel Devil, your host Clara Francken sits down with Guillaume to talk about: Why the team of riders chose to cycle instea...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 27
They picked up 650,000 cigarette butts and piled them in the city center. Why? To take a striking stand against trash & pollution. In this episode, I chat with Andreas Noe, aka The Trash Traveler , who’s changing beach cleanups into powerful awareness campaigns. From creating trash art to organizing massive cleanups, Andreas is on a mission to show that small actions can lead to big change. We discuss: Why beach cleanups aren’t enough to solve plastic pollution. How trash art and visuals ins...
Jan 16, 2025•53 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Attending Turkish high school as foreigners? This is our personal experience during the winter time in Turkey. This episode is my Christmas gift to all the international students abroad. Host Clara Francken and her best friend Debbie talk about attending high school in Turkey as an exchange student. We reflect on our year living and studying in Izmir and Mersin, Turkey. We talk about everything from skipping class (yes, it happened!) to celebrating Christmas and New Year in a new culture. If you...
Dec 24, 2024•56 min•Season 2Ep. 24
How far would you go to raise awareness about climate change? Reuben Ntuluki walked 1000 km through Botswana to prove that sustainable travel is possible and necessary. In this episode of Travel Devil, your host Clara Francken uncovers the challenges, triumphs, and lessons from Reuben’s inspiring journey. Topics covered: Reuben's untold story of walking 1000 km The truth behind funding for climate projects in Botswana The link between eco-mobility and reducing carbon footprints Traditional and m...
Dec 05, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 23
In this solo episode, your host Clara Francken shares her firsthand experience traveling from Portugal to Germany by train - an epic 4-day journey filled with highs, lows, and important lessons. From breathtaking views in southern France to logistical nightmares at border crossings, Clara unpacks the realities of choosing sustainable travel over cheap flights. This episode is sharing real stories about how to embrace the joys - and frustrations! - of eco-friendly travel. Discover answers to thes...
Nov 28, 2024•34 min•Season 2Ep. 22
From funny and awkward border-crossing moments to the occasional frustrating delays, this episode is packed with relatable and entertaining train tales. Host Clara Francken welcomes Jon Worth, an independent EU policy commentator and expert on sustainable transport, for an engaging discussion on European train travel. It's not just about stories, this episode dives into the bigger picture of sustainable travel across Europe. Discover how EU policies are shaping the future of rail travel, how we ...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Can we take selfies with monkeys? Can I feed apes? Why are macaques aggressive towards humans? Can I eat primates? In this episode of Travel Devil, we're exposing the wildlife exploitation in southeast Asia's tourism culture - with Connie Needham. While Vietnam and Southeast Asia is a backpacker’s paradise, it’s also home to more and more wildlife exploitation marketed as “once-in-a-lifetime experiences.” Today we focus on primates: monkeys and apes. Researcher Connie shares her insights on stre...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In this episode of Travel Devil, I sit down with Victor Figèra from La Route du Soja to discuss his incredible long-distance train journey from Paris to Taiwan with his partner Léa. Victor shares how his childhood shaped his passion for sustainable travel and how they navigated a route that emits five times less CO2 than flying. We dive into their most memorable experiences—crossing breathtaking landscapes in China and Kyrgyzstan, a heartwarming arrival in Hong Kong, and culinary adventures in T...
Nov 06, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Today's episode is all about beach cleanups, sharing the story of the coastal and marine management expert and founder Daniel Angelis, who got started during the refugee crisis. Daniel shares his journey of how the refugee boats impacted his home island Lesbos in Greece, and how they dealt with the trash. He's opening up about leading ocean cleanups and tackling plastic pollution along some of the world’s most beautiful yet fragile coastlines. In Lesbos, environmental conservation met humanitari...
Sep 26, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 18
How can we visit Portugal in a more sustainable way? Today's guest is the portages Marta Domingues, a founder of eco-projects and a biodiversity activist. Marta explains the problems she faces on a daily basis living in Portugal. Over tourism caused her not to visit Lisbon anymore, taking the bus can take a long time, visiting beautiful beaches with her kids became a 3-hour-queue experience by car... But all of those negatives make room for positive solutions. How can we do eco travel in Portuga...
Aug 29, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Many tourists prefer fun facts and experiences over the heavy truths of wildlife conservation, leading to a tourism model that often neglects the needs of the animals and the environment. What are green flags and red flags of wildlife safaris? Where is a volunteer's money actually going? ... Margarita Samsonova, an unconventional GREENfluencer and the founder of Behind The Greens media, explains the big differences between fancy safaris and real conservation efforts. She shares how luxury safari...
Aug 16, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Bikepacking or work 'n holiday? Mix both to get workpacking. This week's guest decided to leave his office and make it mobile. Gunnar Fehlau started working from his e-cargobike, as he calls it "workpacking". Gunnar shares tips on how to start your own bicycle touring workpack journey and explains how his start wasn't the best. Our host Clara Francken talks with him about the difficulties he faced and the solutions he found. How Gunnar arranged his one-year trip from idea to the start to the pow...
Aug 01, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Responsible travel means that we need to be aware of our impact. And to say that this conversation is a wake up call, is an understatement. Today's guest Praneetha Monipi explains all the do's and don'ts when touching nature. The goal is to keep the biodiversity alive. What is the real impact of our seashell collection? Why is rock-stacking not a good idea? What's the impact of tourism on local wildlife and communities? Host Clara Francken asks all of this and more to learn from her guest, a bio...
Jul 11, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In the 1950s, Klaus' parents left Germany on a ship, aiming for a better life in Canada. In this episode, our host Clara Francken talks to Klaus about his travel dreams. Klaus wishes to travel back to Germany and sail back to his roots. Why does he want to travel on a freighter ship? Why did his parents migrate to Canada? What is the impact of sailing aboard a cargo ship? Check out possible cargo ship voyages: cptnzeppos.com/en/alle-reizen/ The video Klaus is talking about (Cargo Ship Travel | E...
May 16, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 13
1500km of cycling around the Dutch border & crossing to neighbor countries hundreds of times. Bicycle touring around your own country while following strict rules. Vincent Wever cycled around his homecountry The Netherlands. His rules? 1. stay as close to the border as possible 2. don't do the same route twice The borders of Holland touch both Belgium and Germany. But they also cross houses, stores, gardens, rivers and more. What inspired Vincent to travel around The Netherlands? What did he...
May 01, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Luxembourg, the world's richest country, made public transport free. Today we're talking about Luxembourg and its buses, tramway and train system - with Luxembourgish guest Joé Voncken. The Luxembourgish railway system is called the SNL (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois). Free transportation is great for the environment, very practical and reduces the amount of traffic. How did free transportation affect Luxembourg? Is it also free to take the train between Luxembourg and neig...
Apr 17, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 11
How to find cheap train tickets? How to travel comfortably? Which countries should you visit by train? Join our host Clara Francken as she shares expert tips, insider secrets, and captivating stories from the rails, guaranteed to elevate your European train travel experience. Stories from delayed journeys through Belgium and Germany to sun-soaked escapades in Spain and a four-day trip to Greece, this episode is your ultimate guide to mastering European train travel. Discover how to snag budget-f...
Mar 28, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 10
What is it like to go long-distance bicycling? This week’s guest William Spencer biked from the U.K. to India in less than one year, experienced culture shock, danger and profound friendship on the road. Now he's older, but still traveling by bike. He explains which life lessons he learned from being on the road, why age doesn't matter, which challenges he faced and how he overcame those. William cycled more than 100.000 km across 23 countries. He even wrote a bestselling book about his 14.000 k...
Mar 21, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 9
These female ecoleaders are changing the travel industry by raising their voice. 9 women who will inspire you to travel differently and show that there are many solutions. Tania Muxima Dalisa Camci Emma’s Roadmap Margreen Margarita Samsonova Olivia Piana Jane Goodall Sylvia Earle Wangari Maathai Greta Thunberg First, I talk about my past interview partners (1-3) who have inspired my own travel journey: long distance cycling, hitchhiking and local travel. Afterwards, I'm sharing the stories of up...
Mar 14, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This guy is traveling to every continent of the world using his own human power. No plane, no car, no engine was used for his journey. He takes us back on his road in Oceania where he took the rowing boat to sail between Java and Papua. He rowed 4.00 km in Indonesia and is the first one rowing this long road. In total he rows and sails 12.000 km and cycles 70.000 km to reach his ultimate goal: the summits of Puncak Jaya (Oceania), Mount Everest (Asia), Kilimanjaro (Afrika), Mount Vinson (Antarct...
Feb 29, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this week's solo Christmas special, Clara is talking about her experience celebrating Christmas for the firs time abroad. Spending Christmas away from the family, in a place surrounded by new friends only. Social life is already hard during winter times, let alone finding people to celebrate Christmas with. Your host Clara Francken explains how her family Christmas tradition looks like, how she spent her Christmas in Turkey, and answers your questions about spending these days away from home....
Dec 21, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Everything you need to know about a gap year, and more. What is living in Turkey like? Living in a host family? Learning a new language? Travel Devil host Clara shares her own experience in this week's episode. She answers your questions about her year abroad, and explains how she chose to travel with the exchange organization AFS. At first, she opens up about the process of deciding the country Turkey and shares insights of AFS camps. Then she dives into how living in Turkey, Izmir, changed her...
Dec 07, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 5
How to explore your home country? Can you travel close to home and have fun? See beautiful destinations? Travel Devil host Clara talked about weekend trips and micro adventures with Emma. She started exploring Belgium when the pandemic hit, and shares her experience on Instagram on @emmasroadmap. In this episode, she'll share the top beautiful destinations in Belgium, how to find micro adventures close to your home, how to plan your weekend trips, and more. This episode is full of fun tips and w...
Nov 23, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Is cargo ship traveling better than boarding a cruise ship? Travel Devil host Clara talked to Joris, he traveled the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger on a container ship. After that life-changing experience, he started his own travel agency CptnZeppos. In this episode, Joris shares everything you need to know about being a passenger on a cargo ship. I promise you will feel good, inspired, and laugh during this episode. Want to watch the podcast-related video? Go to https://youtu.be/vJIZgIryJes Writ...
Nov 16, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 3
