Tripology: Travel Podcast

What's the Point? How to Discover Your Purpose Through Travel

192 views · 6d ago · 28:11

This week's existential and pensive episode aims to question and answer life's big conundrum: what's the point? Traveling the world is a great way to discover who you want to be, giving you the opportunity to remove yourself from society, stay still for a while (metaphorically) and also try many activities that help unlock something inside you. Have you found your purpose or are you still searching?

Topics: Alun's travel anniversary · What's interesting about Antarctica? · Adam's life lessons · The cool thing about Travel · It's a worrying world · The crazy thing about Universities

Is Solo Travel Perfect for Introverts?

136 views · 1w ago · 29:18

What's it like to travel the world as an introvert? Alun gets all vulnerable this week, as he describes backpacking life as an introvert. We ask whether solo travel is perfect for introverts and provide tips on how best to approach traveling if you have social anxiety. Extraverts have always had their fun, but does that render their trips less meaningful?

Topics: Introversion and Extroversion in Backpacking · Hostel Beer Pong Pressure · Social Anxiety While Traveling · Do Extraverts have more fun? · Travel advice for Introverts & Extraverts

Travelling India: Our Love-Hate Relationship With the Realest Place on Earth

189 views · 2w ago · 35:29

Guest: Travelling India

We love India! It's no secret, but it is complicated. This is our love letter to India, a country that we believe is the most authentic, the most real. We share the reasons why we cannot stop thinking about India, as well as what you can expect if you travel there, too. If there's only one place on earth you ever travel to, let it be India.

Topics: India Love Letter Begins · India's ambiguos head knod · Lack of personal space · India Deserves a Second Chance · The Realness of India · Swiggy Biryani Surprise

Rishikesh: Should You Visit India's Yoga Capital?

196 views · 3w ago · 26:06

Adam's following in the Beatles' footsteps and practicing Yoga in Rishikesh, but what's it like visiting India's Yoga capital? Tune in for a fun and bendy episode... Oooommmm! The Lost & Found section sees Adam discussing a few travel options for a day trip around the Kerala backwaters, but can Alun guess which option Adam will choose?

Topics: Om and India Memories · Cave Vomit Tale · How to Manage Monkeys · Rishikesh Spiritual Reset · Yoga Class... for the first time in 12 years! · Phone Stolen Goes Viral

Scammed in Varanasi: India's Spiritual Capital - Part 2

749 views · 1mo ago · 29:07

The Varanasi scam continues, as Adam explains the confronting scenes he saw during the funeral ceremony, including the moment he was tricked into donating money. Tune in, as the scam unfolds, and make sure that if you're in Varanasi or anywhere else in India, you question interactions with strangers involving religion and spirituality; there's every chance you'll be expected to hand over money and you may feel like you have no choice.

Topics: The Varanasi scam continues · Watching a Hindu cremation up close · The eternal flame of Shiva · Donating money · The verdict: How is Adam feeling now?

Scammed in Varanasi: India's Spiritual Capital - Part 1

166 views · 1mo ago · 31:26

Adam was scammed in Varanasi, India’s spiritual capital, in one of the most confronting ways imaginable: criminals exploiting the cremations and funerals of Hindu families to pressure tourists into donating money. The original conversation was recorded before Adam knew he had been scammed.

Topics: The Varanasi Firewood Scam Explained · What Do Tourists Actually Know About Varanasi? · Why Hindus Come to Varanasi to Die · Witnessing Cremations on the Ganges · Enter the 'Volunteer Guide' · Burning Is Learning: Should Tourists Watch Cremations?

The Taj Mahal: Visiting India's No.1 Tourist Attraction You Probably Know Nothing About

253 views · 1mo ago · 30:47

What is the Taj Mahal? Adam's in hectic Varanasi, surrounded by spirituality and noise pollution, but the topic of today is India's iconic and universally recognisable travel destination, the Taj Mahal. Do you know what the Taj Mahal is and why it was built? Adam shares the story of his recent visit, involving a very uncomfortable late night train ride, as well as delivering a Taj Mahal quiz. Tune in to learn how much you didn't know!

Topics: Recording amongst the Chaos of Varanasi · 5AM Mission to the Taj Mahal · The Uncomfortable Train Journey to Agra · Travelling India With an Indian Girlfriend · Buying Tickets at the Taj Mahal · Why Do Tourists Take Touristy Photos?

Climbing Japan's Highest Peak: Why Nobody Reaches the Top of Mount Fuji

132 views · 1mo ago · 32:03

Guest: Climbing Japan's Highest Peak

Alun's returned after summiting Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak. Upon reaching the top, he quickly realised he was the only person there! Tune in for travel tips on how to climb Mount Fuji, and find out why most people stop before reaching the top! Grab your warm things, your onigiri, and your ankle-high hiking boots... It's about to get sticky!

Topics: It's Adam's Birthday! · Climbing Mount Fuji in Barefoot Shoes · Sunrise vs Sunset: Which Is Better? · Getting Past the Fuji Mountain Police · Alun's 20-Year-Old Fleece · The Mount Fuji Stick: Travel Souvenir or Scam?

Shimanami Kaido: Japan's Legendary Cycle Route You've Never Heard of...

117 views · 2mo ago · 39:46

Guest: Shimanami Kaido

Japan has many great cycle routes but none more spectacular than the Shimanami Kaido. Out of breath and sunburned, Alun shares his recent experience of taking on the 70km ride across the Seto Inland sea. We discuss how to access the Shimanami Kaido from Hiroshima, a curious hostel in the famous seaside town of Onomichi, and how you can get your hands on the world's number 1 sleep mask. Jump on, strap in, and follow that blue line all the way to the end.

Topics: Cycling the Legendary Shimanami Kaido · Taking Your Bike on Trains in Japan · The Famous Dessert of Onomichi · The Strangest Hostel Check-In Ever · Manta Sleep: The Ultimate Sleep Mask for Hostels · Renting Bikes & Sending Your Luggage Across Japan

Why Visiting Hiroshima Will Change Your Opinion of Japan

228 views · 2mo ago · 31:23

Alun returns from a trip to Hiroshima that has changed his opinion of Japan! Taking time away from Tokyo in order to reconnect with his inner backpacker, Alun travelled to the modern city of Hiroshima. The recent history and museum exhibitions, regional cuisine, sports events and traditional Japanese theatre will have you falling in love with Japan all over again!

Topics: From Tokyo to Hiroshima by Shinkansen · Japan's Amazing Train Food: The Ekiben · How Hiroshima Rekindled Our Love of Backpacking · Miyajima Island & Hiroshima Carp Baseball · Why You NEED to See Hiroshima's Peace Memorial · Inside the Hiroshima Peace Museum

Why Hokkaido? Seeking the Road Less Travelled

108 views · 2mo ago · 42:28

Need travel insurance? We recommend SafetyWing! Click here to get started: ⁠⁠⁠ Require an onward flight? Please use this fantastic flight rental service: ⁠⁠⁠ Thank you, as always, for your continued support. It means the world.

Topics: Drunken train travel mistake · Snazzy shirts and forgotten wardrobes · British Columbia wildfires · Psycho-geography & location attraction · Hokkaido: Sapporo city, vineyards, whisky and hot pools · Hakodate Reunion

The Surprising World of Sumo Wrestling: How to See Japan's National Sport LIVE

83 views · 2mo ago · 32:16

Sumo Wrestling is Japan's National Sport but not something tourists often get to experience. However, Alun, now a Tokyo resident and our Japan correspondent, has been lucky enough to nab some tickets to the Nagoya Basho: an annual Grand Sumo tournament. Tune in to find out how to see this surprising and misunderstood sport LIVE.

Topics: Sumo Wrestling: A Beginner’s Guide · How the Sumo Ranking System Works · What Makes a Yokozuna? · How Sumo Matches Actually Work · Sumo Tickets, Food & How to Attend a Basho · Why Japan Has Something for Everyone

What is the World's Most Life-Changing Travel Destination? P.S. We're Drunk

78 views · 3mo ago · 36:46

Which country tops the list of the World's Most Life-Changing Destinations? We challenge an article that tries to answer this question. Which destinations could genuinely be life-changing and transformative? Have we been to these countries and would we say the same?

Topics: Drunk in Tokyo: Adam's Final Night in Japan · What Is Sake? (And What's the Difference Between Sake & Nihonshu?) · We Try Japan's Famous 7-Eleven One Cup Sake · Why Japanese Beer Is So Good · Our Incredible Omakase Sushi Experience · The Best Sushi We Ate in Japan

Things Nobody Tells You About New Zealand

425 views · 3mo ago · 29:44

Life in New Zealand is not what you think! Adam divulges some hard truths about what living and travelling in New Zealand is really like. Whether you're a backpacker looking to work in New Zealand on a Working Holiday Visa or a holidaymaker planning a road trip, don't miss this episode. We break through the shiny exterior of a country we only hear good things about...

Topics: Things Nobody Tells You About New Zealand · A Fair Warning... · Mobile Phones · Restaurants & Bars · Roads & Infrastructure · Hair cuts

Are Foreigners Welcome in Japan?

135 views · 3mo ago · 30:01

What do Japanese people think of foreigners? Are tourists welcome in Japan? We discuss the popular and unpopular opinions of how tourists are perceived in Japan, as well as our own experiences of interacting with locals. We also share a recent story from a public bath house where one Japanese man got all hot and bothered... You get what you pay for!

Topics: Are Foreigners Welcome in Japan? · What's a "Gaijin"? · How do Japanese people see foreigners? · Is Japan unwelcoming? · The restaurant that doesn't want tourists · Are tourists ruining Japan?