Speaking Of Travel ®

Kent Wolff and his two daughters, MaryKent and Cami, have a tradition of traveling together and love it. Find out how they make time to travel often and how their time together brings them closer. The family talks about their reasons for travel and their favorite traveling experiences. Explore with them as they tell us about their favorite cities and why and how traveling inspires them.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Emily Rathmanner’s mission to build a fair trade brand with artists brought her to the Intag Region of Ecuador where she witnessed what a small group of women could do to create positive change. She's been traveling since college, about 4.5 years, and is a graphic and web designer. A recent entrepreneur, she began a business partnering with women in Ecuador to make handbags made from cactus called "Made by Minga." Find out how Emily began traveling and what led her on this mission and what she's been up to in the past year. Emily is a compassionate 27 year-old and is already making change happen that she wishes to see in the world. Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Kenny Capps is a cancer patient advocate and the executive director for Throwing Bones for a Cure. In January of 2015, Kenny, an avid ultra marathon runner from Black Mountain, NC, had to stop running after being diagnosed with stage two Multiple Myeloma, which currently has no cure. Kenny tells his epic story of running the Mountains to Sea Trail in NC to raise awareness to Multiple Myeloma. "You only have so many opportunities to do something that is monumental in life," said Kenny. Find out how he made all this happen and how his team rallied to help him get there.  Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Michael works for Delta Airlines at the Asheville Regional Airport. As an avid traveler with 13 years of airline experience under his belt, Michael knows the and ins and outs of travel from both sides of the counter.“I love [working here],” Michael said. “Every day is a new day… there’s different challenges and different experiences. Meeting all types of people on a daily basis; I truly love it.”Michael likes to leave room for spontaneity when he travels. “If you really want to enjoy some place or take it all in, don’t overpack or overthink,” he said. “We only have one life, so it makes a big difference.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Meghan is taking an impromptu trip to Las Vegas. By checking into the amenities offered at her destination, she was able to pack as quickly as possible.“I’m hoping that by staying at a house, it will have most of the necessities I need,” she said. “I pretty much just packed a couple pairs of clothes.”With little time to spare, she was thankful for the flexibility and convenience of her local airport. “I like that it is conveniently located near my home, so I didn’t have to prepare too far in advance before leaving,” Meghan said. “I had plenty of time to get here, and now I’m enjoying the company in the terminal.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Sierra is the Marketing and PR Coordinator at the Asheville Regional Airport. As part of the marketing team, she helps organize AVL’s art and music programs for passengers and airport visitors.“We invite local artists to come and play for our passengers,” she said. “It sets a nice relaxing tone for everyone.”Highlighting local talent in the terminal allows passengers to have an immersive Asheville experience before they even leave the airport.“Our art gallery features a lot of local artists,” Sierra said. “It allows people to get a taste of Asheville and gives them something to do while they are traveling.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Cynthia is on her way to Indiana and she has a unique way of passing time while traveling.“[Knitting] is a really good thing to do in the airport or on the fly to entertain yourself,” Cynthia said. “You actually get something done and have something to show for… spending time waiting.”Cynthia likes the convenience of flying out of AVL. “It’s really small and it’s easy to get through the line for security,” “It’s a lot faster than at a larger airport.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Gabriele is a PhD student from Italy studying Finance in Oklahoma. Over the past four years, he has learned a thing or two from traveling around the United States.“I try to avoid the touristic places,” Gabriele said. “I try to walk around the city and meet locals. That’s the best way to discover a city, to feel the atmosphere. Wherever the atmosphere is right, step in those places and look around and talk to people.”Gabriele came for a conference, but spent his free time exploring Asheville. “The few things I’ve seen here in Asheville, they’re all beautiful,” Gabriele said. Beautiful city, great people, very friendly. It was a great experience.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Arielle is headed home to New York and she likes to strike the balance of cute and comfortable.“I like to get travel size makeup,” she said. “Whether it be mascara, my lashes or just some quick lip gloss. You have to look good when you travel. You don’t know who you’re going to see on the plane.”Arielle likes the customer service she receives at AVL. “It’s very intimate,” she said. “United lets me know when things are delayed or on time. I enjoy it because the customer service is nice here. I know that I can get checked in… and go through the process pretty quickly.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Stephanie Pace Brown is a travel and tourism professional and director of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA). Stephanie talks about how she began in the tourism industry and what travel means to her. Since travel was part of Stephanie's professional education early on, she believes travel changes with the stages of your life. She also discusses how the BCTDA promotes Asheville to visitors, and how they keep it real to connect visitors to local businesses. Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Tina and Geoff Kinsey and their four boys love to travel and share their favorite family adventures. Each of the boys are named after special places and feel a connection to these places, even unseen. Over the years, they have shared their most memorable family adventures when they have pilgrimaged to the name places. Find out what it means to Bryce, Blake, Tim and Lucas to have been named after different locations that are special to their mom and dad and how they have all bonded around their travel experiences. Plus learn some great travel tips on how to create a family vacation that works for you.      Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Melissa Reardon, editor-in-chief of WNC Magazine and her husband Ryan Reardon, the director of the Asheville Music School, love to travel. After serious planning for a trip to Spain, they covered some epic ground, hitting nine cities in 2.5 weeks by doing three in-country flights, two car rentals, one train, and a grand finale at the Las Fallas Festival in Valencia. Find out how they did it with months of advance planning and an 11-page Google doc!    Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Darren Nicholson of Balsam Range and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters tell us about what life is like as traveling musicians and break down some perceptions of what it is like on the road. Darren is the founding member of Balsam Range (2018 IBMA Entertainer of the Year) and travels the world. Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters were on a European tour to England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, and The Netherlands this past summer and both Darren and Amanda talk about travel, food and life as a road warrior! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Since 2003, award winning journalist/photographer Mark File of RomanticAsheville.com has provided travelers the opportunity to make the most of a visit to Western North Carolina and makes a difference by contributing back to the region. Each year, RomanticAsheville.com gives back in paid and in-kind sponsorships to 200 non-profits in tourism, arts, heritage and environment. From the annual Giving Calendar fundraiser for land conservancy to special campaigns to restore trails or buy fire equipment to fight wildfires, Mark is making a difference and enriching so many. In this episode, Mark fills us in on the 2019 Giving Calendar and why land conservancies are so important. He also shares info on where we can find some great protected places to visit this winter.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

In late 2015, Tess Vigeland embarked on a remarkable journey. Home now, she talks about her lessons learned, the logistics of travel, the experience of being an expat and her midlife philosophical journey. Tess visited 20 countries in two years and eight months, finishing up with her time abroad in Maldives, Australia, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia and South Korea. Find out what Tess misses about her life in Bangkok and what she's enjoying now that she's back stateside.    Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Linda Williams is passionate about living in community and brings her communication skills from the Living in Community Network in Sarasota FL. Find out how to decide if this is your type of lifestyle, how to get started in shared housing, how to find perspective housemates, what the benefits and challenges might be, how to downsize, and where to begin exploring your path to living more in community. Linda herself winters in Sarasota and spends her Asheville summers in a series of different home sharing arrangements.      Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Chef and food writer James Beard said: “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” Taking those words to heart, Katie Button and Felix Meana create food experiences to unite people. Katie & Felix are the husband and wife partners behind Katie Button Restaurants in Asheville and Cúrate Trips, the culinary travel expeditions to Spain and Portugal. An intimate conversation around the table about community, food, travel, sustainability, preservation and collaboration. Yummy! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

It’s beginning to look and feel Like autumn in the mountains of Western North Carolina! And while the Great Smoky Mountains are beautiful at any time of year, there is just something magical about the seasons changing and the weather becoming crisp and cool. And if you're looking for the best of the mountains in one place, head to Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park. General Manager Mary Jaeger-Gale shares info about hiking trails, fall and winter specials, photo contests and more. Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is located a short, lovely drive south of Asheville and you’ll find the most beautiful scenic vistas, hiking trails and rock climbing adventures. It’s truly one of the area’s most popular attractions.  Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Dan and Jen are making their way to Phoenix, Arizona, for a family event. Both Dan and Jen travel for work and they have figured out the secrets to packing like a pro. “Pack for the security line to get in and out as quickly as you can,” Dan said. “Make sure you have liquids handy at the top of your bag… and reduce the number of electronics that you carry on with you.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Tom is off to Germany for an eight-day bike trip. Touring the country by bike leaves little room for excess when it comes to packing, and Tom understands the key is packing only the necessities. “I packed once and then I cut it in half,” Tom said. “People don’t need all that they pack.” Tom loves starting his travels at AVL. “Every chance I get I come out of Asheville because it’s small,” Tom said. “These guys actually know me. I travel a good bit, and it’s easy. Lines are almost not existent and I love the friendly mountain people.”Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.