Armchair Explorer

Rising over 1,000 feet straight from the red desert of Australia's Northern Territory, Uluru is one of the great wonders of the world. At sunrise it glows pink, gold, and amber. At dusk, it forms the backdrop to one of the most spectacular sunsets you will ever see. But that's just scratching the surface. What most visitors never discover is that the real wonder of Uluru lives in the stories, and culture, of the people for whom it is not just a wonder - but a part of them.
In this Bucket List episode, Kylene Randall, a traditional custodian of Uluru and member of the local Anangu people, takes us deep into the Aboriginal heart of this extraordinary and sacred place.
We'll discover the ancient creation law of Tjukurpa, hear the story of the Stolen Generation and how Kylene's grandfather found his way home, walk the stories at the base of Uluru, learn hands-on bush skills and traditional culture, and find out what the four pillars of Anangu wellbeing might teach us about how to live our lives too.
This is a journey into the soul of Uluru and the people who have kept watch over it for more than 30,000 years.
Episode Highlights:
Walk the Stories at the Base of Uluru
Travel with Kylene on an indigenous-led walk around Uluru, hearing the story of the Mala people, their ceremony, their fight, and the lessons it contains.
Hear the Story of the Stolen Generation
Learn how Kylene's grandfather was forcibly removed as a small child, spent his life searching for his mother, and ultimately found his way back to his culture - and how that extraordinary act of resilience changed her life and continues to inspire her work today.
Experience Culture Hands On
Discover what it's like to make traditional tools, learn bush medicine from native plants, dig for honey ants, cook kangaroo tail on a fire, and spend a night on country beneath a sky full of stars.
The Four Pillars of Holistic Wellbeing
Hear Kylene's grandfather's teaching on the four things that make us complete - family, country, spirit, and law - and why, when we are disconnected from any one of them, we cannot truly thrive.

FIND OUT MORE
This Bucket List episode is the second in our series on Australia's Northern Territory. If you missed the first - Into the Wild: A Road Trip Through Australia's Northern Territory - go back a few episodes in the feed. Together they make an extraordinary two-week itinerary that finishes right here at Uluru.
To experience Uluru with Kylene and her family, visit talikatu.com or follow on Instagram at @talikatu
PLAN YOUR TRIP
We designed this itinerary with a company called Down Under Endeavours, who specialise in authentic Australian adventures — wide open spaces, real wilderness, and the kind of local characters you'll be telling stories about for years.
Armchair Explorer listeners get $500 off any trip. Head to downunderendeavours.com/armchair and use the code ARMCHAIR at checkout.
You can literally book this exact trip or design something entirely your own. You can book from anywhere in the world, and even if you're just dreaming right now, the website is worth a visit. The dream is half the fun.

Know Someone Who Needs This?
If this episode moved you - and it will - do us a favour and send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Hit the share button in your podcast app, it takes about ten seconds, and it makes a genuine difference to the show.

FOLLOW US:
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com

CONNECT WITH US:
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show and continue to bring these stories to you.
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions.
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out the Smart Travel Podcast
This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:
Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

For advertising or sponsorship opportunities across the network, see the link below.
Voyascape Podcast Network

Wayfinding is an ancient Polynesian way of navigating by reading the ocean, stars and wind. No compass, no map, just deep observation, and experience passed down through generations. But because of that, wayfinding is more art than science. It's about trusting your instinct and using all your senses - and it's exactly the kind of travel Daniel Scheffler believes in, and exactly what this conversation is all about.
Daniel Scheffler is one of the world's most successful travel writers, and in today's episode he and host Aaron Millar swap tales like a couple of mates having a laugh down the pub. Expect scorpion bites in Angola, voodoo ceremonies in Benin, Berber festivals in Morocco, and lots more.
But between the wild stories, this episode is about something much deeper too. If you want to be inspired about not just what to see, but how to see - and how to make travel more than just Google reviews and ticking off lists - this is the episode for you.
HIGHLIGHTS
Hear how Daniel survived a scorpion bite in Angola, three minutes from death, and the tribal leader who saved his life by sucking out the venom.
Travel with Aaron to a Festival Fantasia in the foothills of Morocco's Atlas Mountains, the biggest culture shock he's ever experienced, and why that discomfort was exactly the point.
Discover what it's like to sit inside a voodoo ceremony in Benin, a belief system entirely outside Daniel's own, and why he calls it one of the best things he's ever done.

FIND OUT MORE
Daniel Scheffler writes regularly on Substack at Without Maps find more of his writing and adventures there.
And don't miss his own podcast, Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel - if you enjoy Armchair Explorer, we think you'll love it too.
Listen to Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts: Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel on Apple Podcasts
PASS IT ON:
If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favor - send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wayfinding inspiration in their life … Or go old school and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint! Every single share genuinely moves the needle. Thank you for whatever you can do.
FOLLOW US:
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com
CONNECT WITH US:
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring this content to you.
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions.
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out the Smart Travel Podcast
This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:
Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

For advertising or sponsorship opportunities across the network, see the link below.
Voyascape Podcast Network

There is a state in New England where ancient mountains rise above the treeline into bare Arctic tundra, where sheer granite summits look out over oceans of forests, and where one of the fastest wind speeds ever recorded was once clocked here at 231 miles per hour.
But New Hampshire is also the place where Thoreau came to reflect, Thornton Wilder was inspired to write his seminal play Our Town, and the oldest summer stock company in America stills performs in an 18th century barn.
New Hampshire is art and adventure, natural wonders and quintessential charm. But most of all, like the state’s nickname suggests, it is a place to live free and to the fullest.
In today’s episode we set off on a seven-day road trip through three of the state’s most rugged and fascinating regions - from backpacking in the White Mountains and scrambling up waterfalls to discovering art inspired by nature, and nature infused with an artistic eye.
Get ready for the Live Free Road Trip.
Highlights include:
Hiking the Presidential Traverse - three days, and four peaks above 5,000 feet, including Mt Washington, the highest (and windiest) summit in New England.
Discovering the ‘business class of backpacking’ staying in the Apallachain Mountain Club’s backcountry huts - three-course dinners, epic views, and cosy beds.
Finding out about the MacDowell Institute, a legendary artists' residency founded in 1907, whose past guests include Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, James Baldwin, Thornton Wilder and hundreds of other world-class artists.
Hiking Mount Monadnock - reputedly the second most climbed mountain in the world after Mount Fuji, with views across New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. Hear why this was one of Thoreau’s favorite hikes!

FIND OUT MORE
Produced in collaboration with Lonely Planet: LonelyPlanet.com
Find inspiration, itineraries and everything you need - including how to book this exact road trip - at visitnh.gov (Visit New Hampshire) or follow them on social at @VisitNH
Thank you to our guests:
Marielle Fibish, senior outdoor guide at the Appalachian Mountain Club.Find out more at: outdoors.org
Ben Cote, Newport local and outdoor fanatic. Connect with him at tracylibrary.org
Michelle Stahl, Executive Director at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture. Find out more at monadnockcenter.org

Know Someone Who Needs This?
If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favour — send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Or go old school and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint. Every single share genuinely moves the needle.

FOLLOW US:
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast

CONNECT WITH US:
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring these stories to you.
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Produced by Armchair Productions
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out the Smart Travel Podcast
This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:
Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

For advertising or sponsorship opportunities across the network, see the link below.
Voyascape Podcast Network

There is a place at the top of the world where the land runs out, a sheer thousand-foot cliff rising straight from the Arctic Ocean, and nothing beyond it but open sea all the way to the North Pole. This is the North Cape - the northernmost point of continental Europe and getting there means sailing one of the most spectacular coastlines on Earth.
From Oslo, we travel north through towering fjords and fishing villages so remote the ship is their only connection to the outside world. We pass the Lofoten Islands rising like a mountain range planted in the middle of the ocean, Alta - nicknamed the Northern Lights City - and on into the deep Arctic silence of Finnmark. Norway's coast is not just beautiful. It is staggering.
The Northern Lights wait for us there too. The Sami called them Govsov - the light you can hear, the light that speaks. Science calls them solar particles colliding with the earth's atmosphere. But standing beneath them, none of that matters. What you are seeing is the invisible touch of our sun, raining down in colour all around you - and it is unlike anything you have ever experienced before.
Join host Aaron Millar, and two expert guests, as we set sail on the North Cape Line with the legendary adventure ships of Hurtigruten. This is more than an expedition cruise, it is a journey to the edge of the world along one of the most awe-inspiring coastlines in the world in search of the Aurora at its most breathtaking.
Produced in Armchair Explorer's signature documentary style, this immersive audio adventure is designed not just to let you hear what it's like to chase the Northern Lights along the Norwegian coast - but to feel it.
Highlights include:
Sailing the Trollfjord - a fjord so narrow it feels like you could reach out and touch the mountains on either side, sheer walls of rock and snow rising straight from the water around you.
Standing at the North Cape - the northernmost point in Europe where beyond the cliff edge there nothing but the Arctic Ocean, all the way to the North Pole.
Sitting inside a Sami Lavvu - warm with firelight and wood smoke - hearing stories, sharing food and listening to yoik, the ancient song form where every melody carries the spirit of a specific person, animal or place.
Husky sledding into the Arctic wilderness - the moment the dogs stop barking, set off, and everything goes utterly silent. Just you, the animals, and the snow.
The food of Norway's coast - fresh Arctic cod from the world's largest cod fishery in Lofoten, king crab hauled from the icy waters of Finnmark and cooked within the hour, cheese from a family farm whose recipes are 300 years old, and wild herbs foraged from cliff edges above the fjords.
The Aurora itself - the crowning corona, where the lights rain down in every direction around you - “like taking a dream out of your head and placing it into the sky”

FIND OUT MORE
Produced in collaboration with Lonely Planet: LonelyPlanet.com
This journey is run by expedition cruise company Hurtigruten, whose ships have sailed this coastline for generations. This is what they promise: If you're on one of their 11-day or longer voyage during the Auroral season and the Lights don't appear, they'll give you another chance on a future sailing at no extra cost.
Find out more at hurtigruten.com
Connect with expert Aurora chaser Tom Kerss at TomKerss.com or follow him on Instagram at @tomkerss
Thank you also to Andre Pettersen, the man behind Hurtigruten's extraordinary food and community connections along the Norwegian coast.

Know Someone Who Needs This?
If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favour - send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Or go old school and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint. Every single share genuinely moves the needle.
Hit the share button in your podcast app - it takes about ten seconds, and helps us continue to bring these stories to you.

FOLLOW US: Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast

CONNECT WITH US: If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show, and means you won’t miss an episode (we’ve got some good ones coming up!).
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at Armchair-Productions.com
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

For advertising or sponsorship opportunities across the network, see the link below.
Voyascape Podcast Network
Check out the Smart Travel Podcast
This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:
Smart Travel Podcast

“You stand at the edge of the boat - and you take a giant stride into the unknown.”
Today we’re chatting with Pier Nirandara, a bestselling author, film producer, SCUBA diver and underwater photographer. She's dedicated her life to sharing the beauty and importance of this marine world about which we still know so little. With her work in photography, writing, and more, she's also helping to shape a new generation of divers and ocean advocates from all corners of the world.

In the episode, you’ll hear about the dive that changed her life and stopped her career path in its tracks; how it feels to share the water with some of the world’s rarest, most ancient sea creatures; and why exploring the ocean and encountering marine wildlife is more important than ever. This episode will inspire and move you to consider all the life that exists beneath the water's surface - and what we owe to it.

FIND PIER
Follow Pier on Instagram (@piersgreatperhaps) and Facebook, or visit her website at piernirandara.com to find her amazing photography, articles, books, TED Talk, and more. She also leads snorkeling and diving expeditions all around the globe, so if you want to experience some of the adventures you heard in the episode firsthand, you can find those on her website too.

SPONSORS
THANK YOU to our amazing sponsor, The North Face, for supporting this episode! When you wear The North Face, it’s more than a jacket…it’s the calling to get out there and explore. Find your next fleece, parka, or winter jacket at thenorthface.com.
And thank you to our other sponsor, Juggernaut Wines! Get four bottles of their delicious wines delivered to your home for only 1 cent in shipping costs. Just head over to juggernautwines.com and use code ARMCHAIR21.

SOCIAL
Share the show with your friends! Follow @armchairexplorerpodcast across Instagram and Facebook, and check out Armchair Explorer (www.armchair-explorer.com) for background videos, photos and more on each episode. And please hit that follow button to support the show!

CREDITS
This episode was produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at armchair-productions.com. Jenny Allison wrote and produced this episode, along with host and producer Aaron Millar. Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Theme music written by the artist Sweet Chap.
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.

For advertising or sponsorship opportunities across the network, see the link below.
Voyascape Podcast Network
Check out the Smart Travel Podcast
This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:
Smart Travel Podcast