Speaking Of Travel ®

What if there was a way to really discover more about your destination, tailored just for you, from locals like you? Where you can find out what to do, what to know and where to go. Well, good news! Patrick Gallagher is Founder & CEO of the LGND (Legend) Travel App, an easy-to-use app where you can get great recommendations on all there is to see and do by local people who live in that city. And you can access it anytime, anywhere. Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Deb is on her way to home to Charlottesville, Virginia. She was in Asheville for business but got to mix in some much-needed family time during her visit. As a regular traveler, Deb has learned a thing or two about being prepared.“Never check your bag when you’re flying to [a destination], because you may not have it when you get there,” Deb said. “I haven’t faced that very often; but there was one time when my flight was delayed because of a storm, so I had to spend the night somewhere that I didn’t expect.”“I think it’s great,” Deb said. “It’s a small airport, really friendly. Love these rocking chairs. Easy to get in and out!”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Maria and Ron are headed home to Miami. The couple was visiting Asheville for a convention, but they made sure to hit the highlights during their stay. Ron is no stranger to travel, and he has few tricks up his sleeve.“I like… TSA pre-check. It saves time,” Ron said. “It was pretty easy. You just sign up online, get your appointment and… do it within a half hour. It gets you in and out pretty quickly.”Maria loved her time at AVL. “It’s not too crowded and people are friendly,” Maria said. “We’re not rushing in any way.” Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Chelsea is Ohio-bound after spending some time in Asheville for business. She travels on a weekly basis for work, so she is a practiced hand with several helpful travel tips.“Have everything ready,” Chelsea said. “If you have TSA pre-check, that’s very convenient. If you don’t, make sure you have your liquids ready and have easy shoes [to remove]. Pack as light as you can, that way you don’t have to worry about a checked bag.”“It’s very convenient,” she said. “It’s not like some of the bigger airports where you have to take two hours to get through security. It just takes a couple minutes, and then you’re at your gate.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Josh and Rachel travel a lot for work, but this time they are headed to see family in Mississippi. Being frequent flyers, Josh and Rachel are pros when it comes to maximizing flexibility and convenience on the go.“Always pack a carry-on bag, never check a bag,” Josh said. “You don’t have to wait for your bags at the end of a trip.” “It’s a lot easier if you’re boarding in a later zone or if you’re in a rush, it’s easy just to shove under your seat,” Rachel said. “Then you can get up and go.”Josh and Rachel love the convenience of their hometown airport. “It’s like a second home to me,” Rachel said. “It’s really easy to navigate and super easy to get in and out of. It’s helpful that whenever you are here, you’re home. You can go straight home and not have to worry about traveling a couple extra hours.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Yolanda is on her way back home to St. Louis. She’s been working in the Asheville area for several months now, but she always makes a weekly trip home to connect with friends and family. As someone who travels often, Yolanda knows the importance of traveling light.“Travel lightly, carry only the necessities,” Yolanda said. “Always check your bag. It’s too much… especially when you have connecting flights.”Yolanda loves the experience she has at AVL. “It’s small, very personable,” she said. “The employees have always been a pleasure.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Remi Oguntoye, co-founder of ExplorEquity, explains how approaching an overriding theme of equity with travel makes the experience meaningful and provides tips to travel mindfully and sustainably. ExplorEquity is educating and growing awareness of global equity issues by developing immersive experiences in areas hardest hit by circumstances beyond their control, including Puerto Rico. Discover what ExplorEquity is currently working on and lessons learned along their brief entrepreneurial journey.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Did you know the Asheville Art Museum is the third oldest art museum in North Carolina? It was established by local artists and incorporated in 1948, and has seen several homes over the years. And now, with its current state-of-the-art facility, the museum will celebrate its 70th anniversary with the opening of the new Asheville Art Museum at 2 South Pack Square. Join Kristi McMillan and Lindsey Grossman of the Asheville Art Museum to hear about events and programs for this exciting new chapter.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Betsy Phillips has a voice as serene and calming as the flatlands of her native Midwest. Her new EP, “Like We’re Talking,” with Dan Knobler, features material touching on everything from personal relationships to her childhood home. Find out how she came to pursue her love of music, her love of travel and how she made the decision to move to Nashville. Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Speaking of Travel + Climate Listening Project continues with Dayna Reggero and special guests to talk about the wild places we love to explore. For almost 40 years, Patagonia has supported grassroots activists working to find solutions to the environmental crisis. But in this time of unprecedented threats, it’s often hard to know the best way to get involved. That’s why through Patagonia Action Works, they are connecting individuals with their grantees, to take action on the most pressing issues facing the world today. Three of these grantees are California Trout, Save the Boundary Waters and Accelerating Appalachia. Find out how you can make a difference by becoming a sustainable traveler and taking action, one person at a time! Guest Alex Falconer is from Save the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. This organization is creating a national movement to protect the clean water, clean air and forest landscape of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and its watershed from toxic pollution. Guest Megan Nguyen

One of downtown Asheville’s most iconic landmarks is the red 1963 British Lodekka Coffee Bus at 41 Biltmore Ave. Greg Bounds first brought the bus to Asheville with an incredible amount of hard work and determination and opened its doors as a coffee bus in 1999. In 2009, Karen and Jeff Lazzaro purchased the incredibly cool, eclectic bus and have owned and operated it ever since as Double D’s Coffee & Desserts. Find out how this vintage red bus has warmed its way into the hearts of so many!  Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

One year after returning from her soul-expanding adventure, Tess Vigeland is settling into a stateside life. But Tess believes nothing is permanent and change is always afoot even if you don’t know or feel it. Now living back in her hometown of Portland, OR, Tess explains how she really is getting pretty good at just going with the flow and how her life keeps showing up wherever she goes. Tess is feeling happy to have some roots growing underneath, but knowing her, that is all subject to change! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Melody King, founder of Urban Escape Vehicles, loves the freedoms offered by van life. Her van rental service in Asheville, NC, provides the opportunity to rent a van before investing in a rig and heading out onto the road. Discover why Melody's passion for outdoor recreation and desire to share these things with others motivated her to begin a camper van rental business. With van life so popular, people are able to share their experiences with others, build on ideas and inspire each other. But is it for you? Listen to learn more about this movement that is sweeping across the country.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Larry Jorgensen interviewed Coca-Cola families and conducted research in communities where Coca-Cola history is told through photos of historic buildings, museums, outdoor murals and memorabilia collections. Did you know Coca-Cola once sold the rights to bottle Coca-Cola throughout the United States for $1? Or that Coca-Cola was first bottled in Vicksburg, Mississippi, not Atlanta? These are just two of the interesting stories revealed in Larry's book, “The Coca-Cola Trail”, People and Places in the History of Coca-Cola.”Larry tells the real stories of those pioneer bottlers, the challenges they faced, and how they were instrumental in creating the world’s most recognized brand.  Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The time after returning from a trip creates space to think about how we’ve changed and gives us the wisdom and skills we have gained from traveling. Three friends share fun stories and travel tips. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to travel, whether it’s to the town over from yours or to an exotic place on your bucket list.   Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Speaking of Travel + Climate Listening Project continues with Dayna Reggero and guest Joshua Martin, the Director of the Environmental Paper Network, to discuss the launch of the new #UnwrapTheTruth campaign. The Environmental Paper Network is made up of 160 organizations who are working together to address the rising wasteful use of paper and make shifts to responsible paper production. #UnwrapTheTruth is all about shining a light on individuals as leaders in a solutions-focused movement to protect our climate, forests, and communities.  The Environmental Paper Network is a model for collaboration and looked to by advocates around the world.Their network of non-profit organizations is effectively empowering and motivating consumers, corporations and governments to protect forests, climate, air, water and communities through more sustainable production and consumption of pulp and paper. And you can help! Tune in to find out what each and every one of us can do to create transformational change and help sa

Melissa Reardon, editor-in-chief of WNC Magazine, presents leaf-peeping experiences that are big on color and light on crowds and why the North Carolina mountains are the perfect place to discover fall. Find out what weather conditions make for great fall color and discover resources to keep tabs on the status of the leaf change. Peak color doesn’t just happen in a single weekend here in the mountains. It actually begins at the highest elevations and trickles down to the valleys below. So you can really catch peak color for a full 4 to 6 weeks if you know when to look. Tune in to learn more!   Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is the perfect place to spend quality time unplugging and immersing yourself in nature. And this fall is a lovely time to get outdoors and explore all the Park has to offer.Emily Walker, Senior Naturalist at Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park, explains why this season is so spectacular and shares all the unique opportunities to celebrate the season, like the popular Flock to the Rock event. Discover why fall bird migration is so intriguing and what birds are traveling through. And if you love leaf peeping, this is the place to be! Wildflowers, leaves and birds, oh my! For more info and a list of all the activities you can enjoy, visit www.chimneyrockpark.com Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

New Belgium’s Community Ambassador Mike Craft and Sustainable Coordinator Sarah Fraser explain how kindling social, environmental and cultural change as a business role model works for the community. New Belgium Brewing is of course the makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, but did you know it is recognized as one of Outside Magazine's Best Places to Work and one of Wall Street Journal's Best Small Businesses? They have an entire team of coworkers dedicated to understanding and improving New Belgium’s impact on ecosystems. Learn more about this 100% employee-owned company and their commitment to the planet and to their community. Dedicated to proving that business can be a force for good, come visit New Belgium Brewing in Asheville. Free tours and great beers!  Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Evie Ladin is a dancer, musician, vocalist, songwriter and square dance caller, balancing performing and traveling with hands-on teaching. She’s created a sustainable career doing all the creative things that she loves. Evie talks about her upbringing with music and dance as a part of social communication and how she balances her career and family, all saturated with music. She brings Appalachian traditions to collaborations with musicians and dancers of other styles, including West African, Afro-Cuban, African-American, Indonesian and more, bending and blending forms to create exciting new works. Evie also works extensively with her husband Keith Terry, renowned Body Musician, and his multi-cultural rhythm-based music and dance projects produced by the non-profit arts organization Crosspulse, Inc. Her music is a product of a lifetime immersed in the study of culture, as well as a depth of experiences, of total joys and deep disappointments, illuminating the paradoxes living life in this world.Thanks for list