Unpacked by AFAR

Dec 23 2024 87 ep. 37 mins 64
Unpacked by AFAR Podcast artwork

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.

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Afar, A Retrospective: The First Female Flamenco Guitarists, Turning Suffering into Passion

Dec 23 2024 18 mins  
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years

How to Plan Your Best Travel Year: An Astrologer Shares Her 2025 Predictions

Dec 19 2024 33 mins  
Who needs a travel planner when you could consult the cosmos? According to astrologer Adama Sesay, your astrological chart can be the key to an ideal travel year. On this episode of Unpacked, she breaks down the astrological events to look out for in 2025, shares travel suggestions based on each sign and helps you navigate traveling during a dreaded Mercury retrograde. Wait, Whe

9 Inspiring Companies Changing the Way We Travel

Dec 16 2024 27 mins  
In our annual Travel Vanguard awards, Afar honors nine companies that are working to improve the world and how travelers experience it. We launched the Afar Travel Vanguard in 2016 to celebrate organizations that are making travel a force for good. This year, we received more than 100 nominations from travel professionals and organizations around the world. Narrowing down the list

”Wonder Is Real and it Lives Here.” The Most Wintry Place in North America.

Dec 12 2024 29 mins  
Winter is the best time to visit the Yukon territory. Follow one writer as she travels by dog sled and snowmobile, dons snowshoes for a hike through Tombstone Territorial Park and witnesses the beauty of the northern lights and communal reclamation alongside locals. In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, we follow the infamous “call of the wild” into the Canadian Yukon. How To

How To Navigate the New Rules of Tipping

Dec 05 2024 28 mins  
Wondering when, where and how much to tip when you travel? Since the pandemic, tipping requests show up in places they never have before, such as farmers' markets and fast-food counters. In this episode, two experts help you navigate the changing landscape of tipping so you can tip with respect to the people who serve you and to your wallet, wherever you go. Tips to Improve Promp

Afar, A Retrospective: A Poet’s Travel Guide to Lisbon, Portugal

Dec 03 2024 16 mins  
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years

Holiday Replay: Ever Wonder Where Unclaimed Luggage Ends Up? This Alabama Store Has the Answer.

Nov 28 2024 37 mins  
What happens to suitcases that can’t be reunited with their owners? It’s not something we think about that often, but for Bryan Owens, it’s an entire business. He’s the CEO and now-owner of the Scottsboro, Alabama–based Unclaimed Baggage, the only store in the United States that sells lost luggage. As you’ll hear in today’s episode, his dad launched the business more

The 25 Most Exciting, Crowd-Free Places to Visit in 2025

Nov 18 2024 35 mins  
Mark our words: 2025 will be the year of crowd-free travel. That’s why our editors and contributors spent months seeking out 25 incredible, undertouristed destinations to explore next year. Our annual Where to Go list spotlights under-the-radar escapes, alternatives to popular hotspots, and interesting places around the world you may have been overlooking for too long. And in thi

Afar, A Retrospective: A Malaysian Chef Reclaims Her Past with Laksa

Nov 14 2024 19 mins  
This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years

The Hack That Will Solve All Your Overpacking Woes

Nov 07 2024 36 mins  
Wendy Mak, the author of The Capsule Wardrobe: 1,000 Outfits From 30 Pieces, shares how to pack with ease by using the philosophy she mastered to help countless clients create capsule wardrobes. From how to create your own capsule travel wardrobe, no matter the weather to multifunctional footwear and space-saving essentials—conquer your packing woes once and for all. How To Cre