Algeria isn't on most people's travel list. That's exactly what makes it worth talking about.

Jules Verne’s own Lauren Valentine joins host Abbey to share what it’s really like to visit one of the world’s least-visited countries - and why she came back wondering why more people aren’t going.

Lauren started travelling at 18, solo, with no real plan - and spent the best part of four years moving through Australia, Canada, Central America, and beyond before moving into a career in travel. As Jules Verne’s very own ‘explorer’, Lauren tells us why Algeria felt unlike anywhere she'd been:

In this episode:

· A beach in Costa Rica, a sleeping crocodile ten metres away, and a very quick decision to move

· Hiking an active volcano in Guatemala and spending the night watching it erupt

· Constantine - a city built over a gorge, full of bridges, and entirely free of other tourists

· Timgad Roman ruins, where the only sound was the wind

· A village welcome: traditional dress, a song, figs dipped in olive oil, and a ceremony that caught everyone off guard

· The food - couscous, tagines, homemade bread, and a lunch eaten overlooking Roman ruins

· Locals wanting selfies, strangers asking to practise their English, and an airport conversation that set the tone for the whole trip

There's also an honest answer to the question Lauren kept getting asked in Algeria: what are you doing here?

Thinking about Algeria? Discover Jules Verne’s small group tours and explore a destination few travellers have experienced. Visit julesverne.co.uk for details.

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Website - Jules Verne Travel

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Travel for Curious Minds

As with the full episode, we are revisiting the quickfire round with Eleanor Mills this week.

Eleanor is in the Travel for Curious Minds' hot seat, answering host Abbey Cousins’ quickfire questions on all things travel and adventure.

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YouTube - Travel for Curious Minds

Website - Travel for Curious Minds Podcast

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There’s a slight change for this week’s episode. With female solo travel such a hot topic right now, we thought it was the perfect time to revisit one of our earlier conversations that truly captures the spirit of adventure and independence.

In one of our very first episodes, we sat down with Eleanor Mills to explore how women are redefining travel on their own terms – embracing freedom, confidence, and new experiences around the world.

Eleanor, an award-winning editor, writer and broadcaster, is the founder of NOON – a community focused on supporting, empowering and reframing the conversation around middle-aged women (aka Queenagers)

Feel inspired as Eleanor discusses everything from NOON’s mission to get women excited about midlife and all the joys that come with it to her experiences of travel’s transformative power.

Since the original broadcast, Eleanor's book has been published and is available on the link below.

To find out more about Eleanor, you can head over to:

Instagram

The Noon Website

Order the book

And you can e-mail Eleanor at: eleanor@noon.org.uk

For more information about travel for your curious mind:

Website - Travel for Curious Minds Podcast

Instagram - Travel for Curious Minds Podcast

YouTube - Travel for Curious Minds

For more about Jules Verne Travel:

Website - Jules Verne Travel

To subscribe to this podcast so you get each new fortnightly episode straight into your inbox the moment it goes live, you can either subscribe on your podcast app (search for Travel for Curious Minds) or go here:

Travel for Curious Minds