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Unpacked by Afar

Unpacked by Afar

Written by: Afar
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Unpacked by Afar tackles one tricky topic in travel each week. Whether you want to hack your points and miles, figure out where to travel next, or need advice on an ethical dilemma, we're your expert travel guides. Because the travel world is complicated. We're here to help you unpack it. Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • Feel-Good Fridays: A Road Trip, a Public Health Win, and the Great Millennial Song Debate

    Feel-Good Fridays: A Road Trip, a Public Health Win, and the Great Millennial Song Debate
    May 29 2026
    Welcome back to Feel-Good Fridays. This week, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are bringing you a special road trip edition — recorded live from the car somewhere in the forests of Michigan, microphones balanced on laps and sunscreen close at hand. It’s a two-story episode today, and both come straight from the headlines of everyday life: Sunscreen use is up worldwide — and it’s not just public health messaging that’s doing it. Better formulas, the global influence of Korean and Japanese skincare, and a generational shift in sun-safety habits all play a role. Nikki and Aislyn dig into the data, swap their favorite SPF picks, and make the case for hand cream on road trips. The millennial song debate: NPR music journalists went looking for the one track that defines a generation, and landed on...well, we can't reveal that. But Aislyn and Nikki compare notes (Evanescence, No Doubt, Usher, J.Lo all make appearances), and share a playlist to soundtrack your own summer drive. Tell us your pick. Tune in every Friday through June for a fresh trio of stories from Afar’s favorite travel writers and editors. We’ll see you next week. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to Feel-Good Fridays (On the Road Edition) 00:01:00 Sunscreen Use Is Up — Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal 00:04:30 SPF Picks for the Road 00:05:30 The Millennial Song Debate 00:08:00 Why “Paper Planes” Won 00:09:30 Closing Out the Era: “I Love It” 00:10:30 Our Personal Millennial Anthems Stay Connected Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    13 mins
  • Feel-Good Fridays: A Hidden India, a Celebrity Elephant, and the Future of California Wine

    Feel-Good Fridays: A Hidden India, a Celebrity Elephant, and the Future of California Wine
    May 22 2026
    Welcome back to Feel-Good Friday. Every Friday through the end of June, Unpacked is popping into your feed with a brand-new series designed to carry you into the weekend a little lighter. Each episode, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are joined by a different Afar staffer to share three travel stories that made them smile, tear up (in a good way), or rethink what's possible. Funny, inspiring, heartwarming—the only rule is no downers. This week, we're joined by Afar's deputy editor, Jennifer Flowers, and the three of us travel from the Himalayan foothills to the African savanna to the rolling hills of Sonoma. Together, we share: A corner of northern India that's quietly becoming a model for sustainable tourism, with tourism up 60 percent since 2018 and a network of community-run homestays that let you walk between guesthouses through pine and oak forests. The story of Craig, a celebrity super tusker elephant whose long, peaceful life in the wild is itself a conservation victory, and what his legacy says about decades of work in Kenya's Amboseli ecosystem A Sonoma incubator quietly rewriting who gets to make California wine, with one-of-a-kind small-batch bottlings to look out for from Leap of Grapes, Ward 4 Wines, and Mad Marvlus Tune in every Friday through June for a fresh trio of stories from Afar's favorite travel writers and editors. We'll see you next week. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to Feel-Good Friday 00:01:00 Sustainable Tourism in Uttarakhand 00:04:00 Meet Craig the Super Tusker 00:06:30 A Conservation Win for the Wild 00:09:30 Down a California Wine Rabbit Hole 00:11:20 The Vanguard of Small-Batch Wine Stay Connected Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    15 mins
  • Travel to Listen: Why This Southern City Is America's Most Underrated Music Town

    Travel to Listen: Why This Southern City Is America's Most Underrated Music Town
    May 19 2026
    Welcome to Travel to Listen, a new Unpacked series hosted by veteran music journalist Tim Chester. Over four episodes rolling out every other week, Tim takes us into the cities where music is more than entertainment—it’s the shortcut to a place’s soul. This week, he goes to the source in Macon: meet the people keeping the city’s legendary songbook alive, and find out why a trip here might be the most soulful detour you’ve never considered. In this episode How the Macon Music Revue transforms songs by Little Richard, the Allman Brothers, and R.E.M. into something new—without losing what made them legendary Why Charles Davis believes there’s “something in the water” in Macon—and how the city’s Indigenous roots may be part of its musical soul The story behind the new Otis Redding Center for the Arts: from a 1965 music camp at Otis’s ranch to a full museum and education hub that opened in March 2025 What visitors to Macon often don’t know about Otis Redding—the savvy businessman, devoted family man, and farmer who owned cows, chickens, and horses Where to eat, drink, and hear live music in Macon: from Capricorn Sound Studios to H&H Soul Food, where the Allman Brothers ate when they were broke Meet this week's guests Charles Davis is the frontman of the Macon Music Revue, a band that reinterprets the city’s iconic catalog with a soul-forward sound all their own. A longtime Macon radio voice, Charles is one of the city’s most active stewards of its musical legacy. Justin Andrews is the director of special projects and outreach at the Otis Redding Foundation, and the grandson of soul legend Otis Redding. He helped bring the Otis Redding Center for the Arts to life when it opened in March 2025. Guest host Tim Chester is a freelance travel and culture writer who has spent the past 20 years exploring the world through the lens of music. His reporting has appeared in NME, Spin, and Afar, and his travels have taken him from Manhattan to Malawi and Beijing to Berlin in search of the festivals, scenes, and stories that reveal a city’s soul. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to Macon 00:01:15 Inside the Macon Music Revue 00:04:15 Something in the Water 00:06:15 A Tour Through Southern Rock 00:09:45 H&H Soul Food and the Allman Brothers 00:10:30 Otis Redding’s Vision Comes Home 00:13:45 The Man Behind the Music 00:15:00 Where to Hear Otis in Macon A Music Fan's Travel Guide to Macon Macon is walkable, the downtown is compact, and most of the music landmarks sit within a few square miles. Here’s how to do it like a fan. Start here: the essential stops Capricorn Sound Studios & Museum—the birthplace of Southern rock. The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House—the Tudor-style house where Duane, Gregg, Berry Oakley, and their families lived from 1970 to 1973. The Otis Redding Museum—View plane tickets, telegrams, the briefcase from the wreckage, and pictures pulled from Zelma Redding’s personal archive. The Otis Redding Center for the Arts (ORCA)—The newest piece of the puzzle, opened March 2025: a youth music education hub, the O3 Recording Studio, and the outdoor Zelma Redding Amphitheater, where a bronze statue of Otis now welcomes visitors. Hear live music Grant’s Lounge—the historic dive that served as an audition spot for Capricorn Records. The Douglas Theatre—built in 1921 as a venue for African American performers during segregation, and where a teenage Otis Redding won the teen talent competition so many times the organizers asked him to stop entering. Hargray Capitol Theatre—a beautifully restored downtown venue that brings in touring acts across genres. Eat and drink like a local H&H Soul Food—the legendary downtown spot started by Mama Louise and Mama Inez, who fed the Allman Brothers when they were broke. The Rookery—Get the burger, stay for the music, and listen for the Otis Redding song that always seems to be playing when you walk in. Go a little deeper Rock Candy Tours—weekly guided walking tours that connect the dots between the studios, homes, and venues. The Macon Music Trail—a self-guided trail of 43+ music sites with a free companion mobile app, including the Little Richard House and Rose Hill Cemetery, where Duane Allman and Berry Oakley are buried. The Macon Music Revue (Terminus Records, 2024)—listen to Charles’s reinterpretations of “Losing My Religion,” “Stand Back,” and more. themaconmusicrevue.com Up next on Travel to Listen Tim heads to Minneapolis to get bright and bouncy with the city’s funk scene—and to hear how the city is planning to mark the 10th anniversary of Prince’s untimely passing. New episode in two weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 mins
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