Welcome to The Travel Diaries: Unpacked, your weekend dose of wanderlust. I’m Holly Rubenstein, and today I’m joined by travel and design editor Amira Hashish, founder of creative studio Rapport, who spent 12 years at the Evening Standard, where she was executive editor. From antiques hunting in Nice to finding the quieter side of Capri, we’re exploring some of her favourite escapes, with a little Florence inspiration and insider tips for making the most of three days in LA. Plus, I’m sharing my family-friendly Hotel of the Week.

Destination Recap:

• Nice, France
• Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
• Hudson, New York, USA
• Joshua Tree, California, USA
• Florence, Italy
• Milan, Italy
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Arrowtown, South Island, New Zealand
• Silverton, Colorado, USA
• Capri, Italy
• Naples, Italy
• Marina Grande, Capri
• Anacapri, Capri
• The Grove, Hertfordshire, England
• Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, England
• Rome, Italy
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• West Hollywood, Los Angeles
• Silver Lake, Los Angeles
• La Brea, Los Angeles
• Larchmont, Los Angeles
• Malibu, California
• Santa Monica, California
• Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice, Los Angeles
• Venice, Los Angeles
• Downtown Los Angeles
• Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
• Pasadena, California
• Palm Springs, California
• Santa Barbara, California
• Montecito, California
• Brooklyn, New York, USA
• Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Splendido, Portofino, Italy

A huge thank you to Amira for joining me, and leaving us with quite the travel wish list! Find out more about Amira's work at Club Rapport.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

I’ll be back on Tuesday.

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Today I’m joined by the iconic Celia Imrie. Celia is, of course, one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, with an extraordinary career spanning more than five decades. From her unforgettable collaborations with Victoria Wood, to Bridget Jones’s Diary, Calendar Girls, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and, more recently, The Thursday Murder Club. She's one of those performers who has been part of our lives for as long as I can remember.

But what you might not know about Celia is that she is a completely insatiable traveller. She's happiest when she's on the move, whether that's aboard a glamorous ocean liner, travelling across America by train or setting off on an adventure somewhere entirely unexpected - because as you’ll soon discover, Celia doesn’t fly, so this makes for a particularly interesting episode.

Her lifelong love of travel is at the heart of her new book, The Elegant Hustler: Adventures from a Life on the Move, which is out now, a collection of stories from a life spent exploring the world.

Destination recap

• Middleton-on-Sea, West Sussex, England
• Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
• Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
• Delhi, India
• Melbourne, Australia
• Sydney, Australia
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• Washington, D.C., USA
• Toronto, Canada
• Singapore
• Paris, France
• Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, France
• Nice, France
• Hôtel Negresco, Nice, France
• Villeneuve-Loubet, France
• Menton, France
• Monte Carlo, Monaco
• Isle of Wight, England
• Southampton, England
• Queen Mary 2, Cunard, Southampton to New York
• New York City, USA
• Coast-to-coast railway journey, USA
• San Luis Obispo, California, USA
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• Ice hotel, Norway
• Japan
• China

The Elegant Hustler: Adventures from a Life on the Move, which is now.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Design & Travel Editor, Amira Hashish,

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by the brilliant Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director at The Standard, whose job involves knowing exactly where’s worth going and what’s worth your precious time off.

And there’s so much inspiration in this conversation. If you’re already dreading the clocks going back, Suzannah has some very tempting ideas for extending your summer, with a little help from her Spanish family connections. There’s the seaside spot she returns to again and again, and a food-filled Italian escape that had me mentally checking flights before we’d finished talking.

We also hear how a rather adventurous first meeting led to some extraordinary dates around the world, including a trip to New Orleans, which ties in beautifully with this week’s Louisiana Destination Special.

And my Hotel of the Week is a Greek island favourite that promises to solve a few of those familiar family holiday dilemmas. Having finally been myself, I’ve got plenty to tell you.

Destination Recap:

• New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
• Inns of Aurora, Aurora, USA
• The Peligoni Club, Zakynthos, Greece
• Villa Kallista, Zakynthos, Greece
• Nobelos Bio Restaurant, Zakynthos, Greece
• Eliamos, Kefalonia, Greece
• Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Italy
• Cremeria Santo Stefano, Bologna, Italy
• Cremeria La Vecchia Stalla, Bologna, Italy
• Cremeria Cavour, Bologna, Italy
• Palacio Bucarelli, Seville, Spain
• Cristine Bedfor, Seville, Spain
• Royal Alcázar, Seville, Spain
• Seville Cathedral, Seville, Spain
• Plaza de España, Seville, Spain
• María Luisa Park, Seville, Spain
• Triana, Seville, Spain
• La Viña, Cádiz, Spain
• Casa Manteca, Cádiz, Spain
• La Caleta, Cádiz, Spain
• Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
• Seoul, South Korea

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

I’ll be back on Tuesday.

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From the jazz clubs and Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans to the swamps, dance halls and small towns of Acadiana, this Destination Special explores a side of Louisiana, USA that many visitors never get to see.

We travel west along Interstate 10 into the heart of Cajun and Creole country, a region shaped by its French language, distinctive music, extraordinary food and deep connection to the surrounding bayous.

Louisiana travel and culture writer Herman Fuselier shares the traditions behind Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras, introduces the sounds of Cajun and Zydeco music, and explains why the true heart of Cajun country lies beyond New Orleans.

Cajun French musician Jourdan Thibodeaux joins me from his home on Cypress Island, overlooking the Atchafalaya Basin. We discuss language, identity, life in the swamp and the importance of experiencing South Louisiana authentically.

Finally, Lori Johnson Walls of Johnson’s Boucanière in Lafayette introduces the dishes every first-time visitor should try, from crawfish étouffée and po’boys to beignets and a proper Louisiana boudin.

• New Orleans, USA
• Baton Rouge, USA
• Acadiana, USA
• Atchafalaya Basin, USA
• Lafayette, USA
• Breaux Bridge, USA
• Opelousas, USA
• Eunice, USA
• New Iberia, USA
• Lake Charles, USA
• Sunset, USA
• Arnaudville, USA
• Washington, USA
• Cypress Island, USA
• Henderson, USA
• Mamou, USA
• Avery Island, USA
• Vacherie, USA

• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, USA
• French Quarter, New Orleans, USA
• Café du Monde, New Orleans, USA
• Eunice Cajun Mardi Gras, Eunice, USA
• La Poussière Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, USA
• Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Breaux Bridge, USA
• El Sido’s Zydeco & Blues Club, Lafayette, USA
• Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Lafayette, USA
• Johnson’s Boucanière, Lafayette, USA
• Dwyer’s Café, Lafayette, USA
• Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, Lafayette, USA
• Olde Tyme Grocery, Lafayette, USA
• Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Lafayette, USA
• Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, Opelousas, USA
• DezMeaux’s Boudin, Opelousas, USA
• Steamboat Warehouse Restaurant, Washington, USA
• Hotel Klaus, Washington, USA
• Fred’s Lounge, Mamou, USA
• Cypress Cove Landing Houseboats, Henderson, USA
• TABASCO Factory and Avery Island, Avery Island, USA
• Laura Plantation, Vacherie, USA

To find out more about visiting Louisiana, go to ExploreLouisiana.com.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director for The Standard.

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is returning to the podcast after 5 years! TV presenter, adventurer and explorer Steve Backshall is one of the most travelled people in the world, and one of the best story tellers - so he is the ultimate Travel Diaries guest.

Just listening back to his first episode in preparation for today was a reminder of what an amazing episode that was - if you haven’t listened to that scroll back and listen to that first, because his life is so interesting, and then come back and listen to this one!

It was so lovely to meet him in person this time, just last week. We filmed this in London, and it was really good fun putting some of your new travel diaries chapters to him - his answers were sensational. When somebody has been to this many places it's hard to know where to start, but I think that you're going to be absolutely captivated by Steve's stories, as I was.

So from Suriname to the Scilly Isles, Jerusalem to Alaska, and so much more, here’s Steve.

**Listeners - there's a strange video with the loading of Apple Podcasts' video today, so I'm reuploading this as an audio only file until it resolves.**

Destination recap

• West Cornwall, England
• Land’s End, England
• South Africa
• Suriname
• Alaska, USA
• Juneau, USA
• The Azores, Portugal
• Dominica
• Colombia
• Papua New Guinea
• New Britain, Papua New Guinea
• New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
• New Caledonia
• Yucatán, Mexico
• Cancún, Mexico
• Tulum, Mexico
• Bimini, The Bahamas
• The Isles of Scilly, England
• St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly
• Jerusalem
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• The Negev Desert, Israel
• Kyrgyzstan
• Northeast Greenland, Greenland

Steve’s Deadly Live tour begins in October. Find out more here.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Conde Nast Traveller’s Digital Director, Sarah Allard.

With thanks to...

Kimpton Los Monteros - a five-star hotel for discovering the best of Marbella.

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

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Today I’m joined by travel writer, author and photographer, Luke Abrahams. Luke is one of the UK's most prolific travel journalists, having been to 30 countries this year alone, and he's about to release a new book, The Luxury Travel Book: 25 personal experiences that make you rethink the world and your place in it. These are stories that make you rethink the beauty of life and the mastery of human creativity, and it is packed full of his beautiful photography too.

We'll be unpacking Ruthie Rogers' bucket list destination, Kyoto; reflecting on my Hotel of the Week, Casa Angelina; chatting about Luke's recent trip to Ladakh in Northern India, and answering your listener question.

Destination Recap

• The Shinmonzen, Kyoto, Japan
• Park Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
• Sowaka, Kyoto, Japan
• Tokyo, Japan
• Okinawa, Japan
• Osaka, Japan
• Hotel Lo Scoglio, Nerano, Italy
• The Amalfi Coast, Italy
• Ravello, Italy
• Casa Angelina, Praiano, Italy
• Positano, Italy
• Capri, Italy
• Le Sirenuse, Positano, Italy
• The Path of the Gods, Amalfi Coast, Italy
• Scala, Italy
• Ladakh, India
• Shakti Ladakh, Ladakh, India
• Kargil, India
• The Imperial New Delhi, New Delhi, India
• Leh, India
• Paro, Bhutan
• Genghis Khan Retreat, Orkhon Valley, Mongolia
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• Kazakhstan
• Tajikistan

Luke's new book, The Luxury Travel Book: Extraordinary experiences money can't buy is available for pre-order here.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

I’ll be back on Tuesday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is one of the most influential figures in British food. Ruthie Rogers is the chef and co-founder of The River Cafe, the legendary Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Hammersmith, which she opened with Rose Gray in 1987. Over nearly four decades, The River Cafe has completely transformed the way we eat and think about Italian food in this country, and its kitchens have helped launch the careers of some of Britain’s best-known chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Theo Randall and April Bloomfield.

But Ruthie’s influence extends far beyond the restaurant. She’s the author of numerous much-loved cookbooks and the host of the hugely successful podcast Ruthie’s Table 4, where an extraordinary guest list, from Paul McCartney and Elton John to David Beckham, Tony Blair and Nancy Pelosi, share the food memories that have shaped their lives. The podcast has now inspired her beautiful new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life.

And it turns out that food memories and travel memories have a great deal in common. Both can transport us instantly back to a particular person, place or moment in our lives.

I joined Ruthie at The River Cafe on a gloriously sunny summers day. Her travel diaries today take us from Cuba and Mexico to Maine and Marrakech, as well as her beloved Italy and the beautiful rhythm of family life she created with her late husband, the architect Richard Rogers, with summers in Tuscany, winters exploring the world and an almost constant desire to plan the next adventure.

Destination Recap:

• Havana, Cuba
• Hotel Lungarno, Florence, Italy
• Camino Real, Mexico City, Mexico
• Contramar, Mexico City, Mexico
• Niddo, Mexico City, Mexico
• Oaxaca, Mexico
• Puerto Escondido, Mexico
• Huatulco, Mexico
• Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico
• Uxmal, Yucatán, Mexico
• Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico
• Palermo, Sicily, Italy
• Naples, Italy
• Lo Scoglio, Marina del Cantone, Italy
• Amalfi Coast, Italy
• Ravello, Italy
• Capri, Italy
• Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy
• Trattoria Gianni Franzi, Vernazza, Italy
• Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy
• Portofino, Italy
• Belmond Hotel Cipriani, Venice, Italy
• York, Maine, USA
• Marrakech, Morocco
• Taroudant, Morocco
• Tafraoute, Morocco
• Essaouira, Morocco
• Fez, Morocco
• The Shinmonzen, Kyoto, Japan

You can listen to Ruthie’s Table 4, wherever you get your podcasts.

Her new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life is available now.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

Citalia - Discover the real Italy with Citalia, the UK’s leading Italian holiday specialists. Let the Italy Experts craft the perfect holiday for you and experience Italy like a Citalian.

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