Although we love to share travel tips and advice about travel around Asia with expert guests, there’s nothing like sharing travel stories. As Scott and Trevor have been living in Asia for 41 years, they’re well-worn, traveled, and traversed expats with quite a few travel tales. But despite spending so much of their lives in Asia, Trevor and Scott are still amazed by how often there’s something wild just around the corner on a weekly, if not sometimes daily basis. Life continues to amaze and these experiences make for good stories. In this episode of Talk Travel Asia Podcast, Scott and Trevor share some wild stories about life living and traveling Asia in the fourth part of our Tantalizing Travel Tales series. Get a comfy seat, pour yourself a drink, and get ready to be transported throughout Asia.
Continue readingSitting just off the east coast of mainland China lies an island with a storied history. Formerly known as Formosa and officially known as the Republic of China, Taiwan is an island mired in controversy but full of natural beauty and an attractive destination for those who love traveling Asia. Home to nearly 24-million people, Taiwan is one of the world’s most developed countries and yet the eastern two-thirds of it is highly mountainous. Strangely, this destination is not on many people’s travel radar. Today we’re going to get some Taiwan travel tips from author and travel writer, Joshua Samuel Brown about everything Taiwan has to offer.
Continue readingWell, 2020 wasn’t a great year for international travel but Scott and Trevor were lucky to get to travel in Thailand and Cambodia in 2020. Travel in Asia in 2021 looks like it likely won’t be much different, but we’ve got our fingers crossed at Talk Travel Asia and this episode addresses the year ahead for travel in Asia and internationally in 2021.
Continue readingThis Talk Travel Asia podcast interview with Joe Cummings discusses Joe’s trip to Mount Kailash. Mt. Kailash, located in western Tibet, is considered sacred by Hindus, Bons, Buddhists, and Jains. It towers at 6,638m, represents Mount Meru to Hindu and Buddhists, is central to Buddhist cosmology, and is a major pilgrimage site for various worshippers. One of the religious traditions of pilgrims involves trekking 52km around the base of the mountain, clockwise for Buddhists and Hindus, in order to attain good luck and future fortune along the way. The trip passes through remote lands, over a 5,500m pass, and typically takes about four-days. Today we’ll chat with legendary traveler and writer, Joe Cummings, about his circumambulation of Mount Kailash in 2015.
Continue readingHere on Talk Travel Asia podcast, we explore a variety of destinations across Asia, including the things to do and see, where to eat and shop, and even where to stay. Sometimes these are up-and-coming places, often they are off-the-beaten-track, and once in a while well-trodden, but almost always they are worth a look and certainly deserving of conversation. And then there are the many other places that are sometimes discovered by accident, perhaps on a fourth visit, or because a friend in-the-know put us on to it. These hidden gems are often the most memorable. While risking putting some of our favorite hidden gems on travelers’ radar, we’re willing to take the risk.
Continue readingFew modes of transport are as exotic, effective, fun and well known as the Asian tuk-tuk. They go by other names such as auto rickshaw in India or ramork in Cambodia, but they all have the same purpose: to move people quickly and cheaply, with a wee bit of style thrown in. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast we talk about the role tuk-tuks play in local life, travelers’ journeys and as holiday experiences in themselves, which our guest, Julian Carnall, is in the business of doing.
Continue readingWelcome travel lovers. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast we’re getting seriously tropical with what we believe are the Best Beaches in Southeast Asia. We’ve done other episodes about beaches in Asia, including Episode 11 – Asia’s Somewhat Secret Beaches, but this time we’re going to touch on some of our favorites we’ve been to in the region. Many listeners in the west are going into winter and no doubt getting cabin fever so we thought this would provide a nice tropical escape.
Continue readingOn this episode of Talk Travel Asia, we’re going way off the beaten path to discuss some of the best mountain biking in Asia. We chat with former Bike Magazine Editor in Chief, journalist, explorer, and all around adventurer Brice Minnigh, about his mountain biking expeditions in Asia, including a recent film he made, The Kora, where he and some friends spent 10-days circumnavigating Himalayan peaks in Sichuan province, China. So put on your biking kit, strap on your helmet and headphones, and get ready for an exciting ride ahead!
Continue readingTalk Travel Asia Episode 112: Travel Hacks
Helping you travel more smoothly and happily is what this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast is all about. Recently we did an episode called “Don’t do That!” to help travelers to Asia stay out of trouble while traveling the region. This episode is its companion, and we’re going to put a more positive spin on a similar topic by offering you some of our best Travel Hacks. So get ready for some winning tips which will make your journey even more enjoyable and incredible.
Continue readingTalk Travel Asia podcast welcomes back Phillip Cornwel Smith to talk about his latest publication: Very Bangkok. There’s no doubt that Bangkok is one of the world’s most visited cities. Its sites are some of the most featured on Instagram, and almost everyone will come up with some mental pictures of the city, good and bad, the moment they hear the name. Founded in 1782 when the Chakri Dynasty established Bangkok as Thailand’s capital, it’s a vibrant, dynamic city that dazzles the senses at every turn. Some love it, others hate it, and all with good reason. Today we’ll explore the City of Angels well beyond the surface with longtime resident and author Philip Cornwel Smith, who will share insights from his book Very Bangkok.
Continue readingIf you travel, you almost always end up spending a reasonable amount of time in a hotel or lodging of some sort. Your room and property typically plays a key role in your experience, especially if it’s a special trip or one to a new part of the world you’ve been dreaming of for a long time. You’ve likely had a hotel experience that you still remember due to a few special touches and you’d go back in a flash if you were there again. And you’ve likely also stayed somewhere that was a bust and tainted your overall memories of a destination. On this episode we’ll go beyond the throw pillows and welcome drink to think about what makes a great hotel experience, with Jason Friedman, a longtime luxury hotelier specializing in Asia.
Continue readingScott and Trevor recount their adventure to the remote Preah Khan temple in Kompong Svay, central Cambodia, which they visited in September 2018 by motorcycle. Remote, out-there, far-flung. All these words perfectly describe this temple complex. While located just 100 km east of Angkor Wat, it’s a lot further away from civilization than that. Located in Preah Vihear province, it is the largest single religious complex ever built during the Angkor Era. Constructed during the 11th century, it’s about 5km square, with what initially would have been a massive moat around it. We talked about going for years and finally made the journey in September 2018. We share how it all went down!
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