Author: itraveler

Longtime travel blogger and train fanatic Nora Dunn talks about what happens when Eastern medicine goes south, emptying vomit buckets in Peru, why no one should skydive naked, and whether zip-off convertible pants are a sign of the apocalypse. (Episode contains adult language and content.)

Guest bio: In 2006, Nora Dunnsold her financial planning practice in Toronto, got rid of all of her belongings, went on the road, and started the Professional Hobo blog. Over the next 12 years, she traveled slowly through more than 60 countries, apprenticed with a shaman in Peru for 2 years, worked as a shaman’s assistant in Ecuador, and amassed a book’s worth of wild, wonderful and bizarre tales from the road. Follow here at: @HoboNora on Twitter, on Facebook, andn on YouTube.

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Episode co-host: Gary Arndt

Location: Billings Hotel and Convention Center, Billings, Mont.

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms (1982)

Drag performer Afrika America brings fun and fabulousness to everything she does — including her day job as a flight attendant. She chats about tragically oblivious passengers, why Chicago is great for cutting loose (Boystown!), being a glutton in New Orleans, and discovering there are African American people in Salt Lake City. (Episode contains adult language and content.) Disclaimer: This episode was not sponsored by Tito’s Vodka — but it really should have been (hint, hint).

Guest bio: Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Afrika America has performed in drag “for years,” and has been a flight attendant for a major (unnamed) airline for three years. She is the host of the GLAM Sundays dance party at the Valencia Room in San Francisco. She also performs with SWAG (Singers With A Goal), a nonprofit foundation “working to eliminate the racial inequities in our own communities and around the globe.” Follow him on: Instagram and Facebook.

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Episode co-host: Krislyn Hashimoto

Location: CityScape Lounge, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco, Calif.

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms (1982)

Longtime blogger, entreprenuer and author Matt Kepnes talks about what life on the road for a decade is really like, missing a flight because of a hangover, why Paris is great for the deadly sin of gluttony, and a failed attempt to sleep through an orgy in Prague. (Episode contains adult language and content.)

Guest bio: Matt Kepness is the New York Times best-selling author of “How to Travel the World on $50 a Day,” and founder of the NomadicMatt.com blog and travel resource. Most recently, he is author of the new book “Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler’s Journey Home.” Growing up in Boston, he was never “a big traveler” until he was 23 and took his first overseas trip to Costa Rica. From that trip he was “hooked on travel.” Since then, he’s traveled to close to 100 countries and territories, flown hundreds of thousands of miles, and learned multiple languages. Follow him as @NomadicMatt on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. 

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Location: Matt’s room, JW Marriott, San Francisco.

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms (1982)

Veteran blogger and outspoken travel advocate Pam Mandel (@NerdsEyeView) chats about people-watching in Waikiki, why road trips are the best travel (hint: stopping for pie), telling truth to tourism outlets, and lusting after Cambodian monks. (Episode contains adult language and content.)

Guest bio: Pam Mandel started her NerdsEyeView blog in 1997 when blogging was still the Wild West, and she describes herself as a “freelance writer, C-list rock star, uke player, cake eater.” Her travel stories have won awards and have been published in major media outlets, as well as in a number of travel anthologies. She’s interviewed Canadian astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield, and two astronauts have responded to her on Twitter — from space. She is driven by “the educational, diplomatic, political, and historical nature of traveling.” She most recently co-founded The Statesider, a site that focuses on U.S. travel. Follow her on: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and at NerdsEyeView.com. Follow her dog Harley at @pupseyeview on Instagram.

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Episode co-host: Ann Head Hilton

Location: Spud’s room, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle.

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms (1982)

Gary Arndt, one of the world’s most popular travel gurus, talks about where to get pork ribs in Tel Aviv, the art of “paleo showering,” his Catholic-suffering approach to air travel, the origin or the “pornstache,” and why he would prefer snakes over infants on an airplane. (Episode contains adult language and content.)

Guest bio: Since Gary Arndt sold his house to travel full time in 2007, he has amassed one of the industry’s largest online followings and has become one of the most influential online personalities in the travel industry. Gary’s travels have taken him to all 7 continents, to over 195 countries and territories, and to over 375 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. His travel blog, Everything Everywhere, is one of the most authoritative and popular travel blogs in the world. It was named one of the Top 25 Blogs on the Internet by Time Magazine and was twice a finalist in the National Geographic Traveller Readers Choice Award for Best Travel
Blog. Gary is also well known for his regular appearances on popular radio shows, podcasts, and at events as a public speaker. His photography, blogging, and social media efforts have made him the most awarded travel photographer in North America in this decade. Follow him on: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and at Everywhere-Everything.com.

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Episode co-host: Tasha Hacker

Location: Spud’s room, Westin Copley Place, Boston.

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms (1982)

Veteran travel writer and blogger Rich Grant talks about drinking scotch from Coke cups, why the ruins at Pompeii need a decent bar, how to attract strippers with convention swag, and why Disney’s Star Wars land is better than the Pyramids of Egypt.

Guest bio: Rich Grant has been walking, writing, and drinking beer for forty years. He is co-author of the book “100 Things to Do in Denver Before You Die.” Follow him at www.WalkingAndDrinkingBeer.com or on Instagram: @RGrant1776

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Location: Anaheim Hilton, Anaheim, Calif., USA

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms (1982)

San Francisco radio and TV travel guru Joel Riddell talks about stripping down on the Croatia coast, hunky generals, forbidden love (of Disneyland), kilos of caviar and leaving a butt print at the birthplace of Christ. Yeah, really.

Guest bio: An Emmy nominated & IACP Award-winning talk show host, journalist & eater, Joel Riddell also loves travel and has covered stories and events from around the globe. The San Francisco-based host is known best for his work on the No. 1 rated “Dining Around” program that reinforces the importance of food and wine in the enjoyment of the good life, whether in his native Niagara or the distant Golan Heights. “Dining Around” has been a main stay of KGO Radio, Talk910 and iHeartRadio. Follow him at: @DiningAround on Instagram; and @JoelRiddell on Twitter.

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Episode co-host: Molly Blaisdell

Location: CityScape Lounge, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco, Calif., USA

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms (1982)

Apollo 11 launch audio courtesy of NASA (for the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing).

Air travel expert Chris McGinnis talks about shower sex in airport lounges, why hot tubs are “DNA cocktails,” mistaking Portuguese sausage as a “marital aid” and why you should never drink coffee on an airplane. Seriously.

Guest bio: Chris McGinnis is SFGate‘s air travel guru, and has been frequently flying for the last 30 years, covering it for newspapers and TV. He’s editor of TravelSkills, a blog for frequent travelers, and creator and co-host of the #TravelSkills chat on Twitter. McGinnis has been a contributor and on-call expert for many news outlets, including CNN, Good Morning America and Fox News. He is the author of two books: “The Unofficial Business Traveler’s Pocket Guide” (1998 McGraw-Hill). And “202 Tips Even the Best Business Travelers May Not Know” (1994 McGraw-Hill). Find him at: www.travelskills.com/about; @cjmcginnis on Twitter; @chrisjmcginnis on Instagram; and on Facebook.

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Episode co-host: Krislyn Hashimoto

Location: CityScape Lounge, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco, Calif., USA

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms (1982)

Veteran travel writer and expert Jill K. Robinson shares tales about torture on a Mexican tequila tour, her favorite New Orleans bars and why she’s “not a Strip girl” — in Las Vegas, anyway.

Guest bio: Jill K. Robinson writes about travel and adventure for AFAR, National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Outside, the SF Chronicle, and more. Her book, “100 Things to Do in San Francisco Before You Die (2nd edition),” was released in 2018, and it was a great reason to plan plenty of “research trips” with co-author, Kimberley Lovato. She’s won writing and photography awards, dodged venomous snakes, nearly crashed into a grizzly while mountain biking, snorkeled with sharks, and imbibed a cocktail or two thousand. Find her at: dangerjillrobinson.com.

Host: Spud Hilton (@spudhilton)

Episode co-host: Molly Blaisdell

Location: CityScape Lounge, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco, Calif., USA

Theme music: “Camelboots,” by 84 Rooms  (1982)