When it comes to mammoth, legendary train journeys, the Trans-Siberian Railway is up there. Coming in at 9,289 kilometers, simply put, it’s the longest railway line in the world. Starting in Moscow, it chugs east to its terminus, Vladivostok, but has another interchange where it then forks south to Mongolia and continues to Beijing, ultimately linking two of the world’s great cities. So, nearly 180 episodes in to Talk Travel Asia, we’re going to finally talk about this epic journey, what’s entailed and hopefully give you enough background to either inspire or give you the idea that this journey is not for you. All aboard – here we go!
Continue readingThis is part two of our interview with Jason Rolan: For those who may have heard a bit about it or have traveled there before, the mystical ancient capital of Luang Prabang or the rubber-tube river rafting party town of Vang Vieng spring to mind. But to those who listen to the show, you already know there’s so much more. We’ve covered a number of great destinations in Laos before, but today we’re going deeper to discover lesser-known Laos with Jason Rolan.
Continue readingSandwiched between Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Cambodia, The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is one of Southeast Asia’s least-known tourist destinations. Landlocked, mostly mountainous, with rivers and waterfalls nearly everywhere in between, Laos is most famous for its natural beauty and friendly, laid-back locals.
Continue readingIn 2020, longtime listener Kristina Tague packed up and set off for Asia with the intention to live in the region. In January 2023, she came on Ep. 163 to talk about how that decision was made, where she journeyed to, and why she settled in the city she did: Bangkok. Since being on the show, she’s traveled across Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, exploring largely by motorcycle, which she purchased in Laos. Today, Kristina returns to the show to share her adventures.
Continue readingDreaming of and planning travel in the 21st century continues to evolve but there has been no greater change, perhaps, than the growth of traveler-curated content. From blogs and user reviews on popular travel websites and forums to Instagram and Youtube, travelers no longer rely entirely on travel publications or word of mouth to discover or design their next holiday. Perhaps the pinnacle of this evolution is the traveler literally making their way around the world by creating inspiring travel content to share with others and earning money in the process. Today we’ll chat with one such traveler to learn what life as a travel content creator / “travel influencer” on YouTube and Instagram is all about.
Continue readingThe subject of many novels and movies, Central Asia sits at the crossroads of legendary rivalries and is crossed by the fabled Silk Road. The region is massive, covering more than 4-million-square-km and includes five countries that were formerly a part of the Soviet Union, including Kyrgyzstan, the focus of this episode. Both Kyrgyzstan and its neighboring countries have diverse cultures and rich histories but are largely unknown to western travelers. On this episode, we’ll chat with travel writer and photographer Stephen Lioy about his life in the region, particularly Kyrgyzstan, where he lives, to get some inside tips for visiting one of the world’s most remote travel locales.
Continue readingNot long ago mountain biking was simply a minority offshoot of cycling, a sport only a few pursued on mostly quiet, cross-country trails. But over the last two decades it’s gone mainstream and now has many disciplines of its own. And as the sport has grown more popular, it’s also gotten more extreme for some, particularly our guest, Darren Berrecloth. A freerider, he’s ridden all over the world, and in 2019 filmed a mountain biking movie, Chasing the Yeti, in Bhutan. He’ll share that experience with us today.
Continue readingTalk Travel Asia podcast Season Three begins with guest Ric Gazarian and his quest to visit every country on Earth. On this episode we talk about travel to Afghanistan, a new destination for the podcast! Few nations in the modern era have as tortured a history as Afghanistan’s. It’s been in conflict for most of the last century and is still firmly unstable. Hippy caravan travelers passed through the country in the 1970s while making their way from Europe to Kathmandu, but today it’s pretty much off the travel radar. But not for our guest who will share tales of his recent visit.
Dolphins on the Irrawaddy River: Photo courtesy of Paul Eshoo – Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project
On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast we talk about traveling responsibly in Asia and how adventure travel can make it possible for travelers to be more responsible 
while on holiday in Asia. The reality is that international travel, once only accessible by society’s most upwardly-mobile, has opened up to hundreds of millions of travelers in recent decades. Growing economies, budget airlines and easing of visa restrictions are some of the main drivers. But with increased numbers comes an urgent need to educate travelers about how we travel to ensure we don’t permanently damage the very places we’re exploring to ensure there’s still a world to travel, in the coming decades. On this episode we chat with an expert, Adventure Travel Trade Association CEO Shannon Stowell, about the subject and focus on how we can travel responsibly.