Going Places
Going Places is a travel podcast hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer and writer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times and BBC Travel. Each week she talks with travelers, journalists, creators and people who live and work in destinations around the world. Episodes range from the Middle Eastern deserts to culture writers in Hong Kong and street artists in Chicago. Drawing on her years in the travel media industry, the show explores the human stories behind the places we visit.
Episodes
Crowdsourcing Hope: Our Season Finale
Today is our final episode of this season! Thank you so much for staying with us, listening to us, sharing your words of encouragement with me, and spreading the word about our show.For two years now, I have been asking every guest who comes on the podcast two questions: What gives you hope? And which place are you going to next?I started asking the hope question because I needed to find that hope
The Radical Joy of Queer Travel with Author Lindsey Danis
Today, we’re speaking with Lindsey Danis, a queer writer of fiction and essays whose writing has appeared in AFAR, Fodor’s Travel, Condé Nast Traveler, Longreads and more.Lindsey’s book (Out) On the Road: The Radical Joy of Queer Travel is out this month. In it, Lindsey weaves personal experience with data and interviews, and offers readers a framework for planning travel, navigating risks, and be
Only 15% of African Safaris Are Black-Owned. Mitti Hicks Explains Why It Matters.
Did you know that only 15% of African safaris are Black-owned?Since their colonial origins in the late 19th century, the safari operations on the continent have largely been headed by white men, with local communities rarely seeing the benefits.(This extends beyond safaris to luxury tourism in Africa, which has been linked to extractive practices and degradation of local habitats.)Mitti Hicks is a
Fighting for Porter Equity on the Trail with Former Lawyer Marinel de Jesus
Marinel de Jesus is a social entrepreneur and former human rights lawyer who advocates for justice in the mountain-trekking industry.Nearly a decade ago, she left the courtroom to imagine what it would take to travel through the lens of equity and dignity.In 2024, Marinel spent over 100 days walking the Great Himalaya Trail with Mingmar Dolma Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to guide 100 days on the
We’re Turning One! Pitch Leads, Member Perks, and Our Big Goal
We're celebrating a very special milestone this week: Going Places turns one!We're building a home for decolonial storytelling, a place where we travel through a lens of equity, justice, and humanity and ask hard questions about who gets to tell the story of a place and who benefits from the traveler's presence there.We have ambitious goals for Going Places, and we need you. That's why we're runni
Could Coexistence Be the Real European Story with Tharik Hussain
The narratives that claim Muslims are "new" to Europe are in part fueling the Islamophobia we see on the continent and across the globe today. But what if we knew and celebrated the fact that Muslim people have always been an integral part of the European story?In Part 2 of our conversation, Tharik Hussain—an award-winning author, historian, and journalist—returns to help us dismantle the long-sta
Searching for 1,400 Years of Europe's Muslim History with Tharik Hussain
For over 1,400 years, Muslims have been an integral part of Europe’s story, yet their contributions to the continent’s development and history have been pushed to the margins or erased altogether.Today's guest is bringing some of these forgotten stories back to the forefront. Tharik Hussain is an award-winning author, historian, and journalist based in the UK who specialises in global Muslim herit
Can Tourism Be a Blessing? Muna Haddad Thinks So
Travel is a tool for validation, a way to say "I see you, I hear you, and your story matters." Today's guest, Muna Haddad, has built her long career in tourism around this principle.Muna is a powerful maker of change in the world of travel and someone I admire deeply. She is the founder of Baraka Destinations, an organization creating tourism experiences in Jordan’s secondary, forgotten locations
Building ‘Women Who Travel’ with Condé Nast Traveler’s Lale Arikoglu
Our first guest this season is Lale Arikoglu, the Director of Special Projects at Condé Nast Traveler and host of the award-winning Women Who Travel podcast.Lale has been working as Condé Nast Traveler editor for the past ten years, and her reporting has taken her from horseback riding in Patagonia and hiking in the Andes to sailing down the Amazon River, chasing the Iditarod in Alaska, and clubbi
New Season: Changing Narratives
Welcome back to the new season of the Going Places show!This season of Going Places is all about changing narratives. From who gets to tell the story of a place to revealing the hidden history of Muslim Europe and elevating the people who serve as the backbone of the trekking industry, you'll hear voices, perspectives, and stories that will provide a deeper understanding of places and cultures aro
Season Finale: Helmet-to-Cheek and Other 2026 Wishes with Dr. Anu Taranath
Happy New Year!Today, we're speaking with Dr. Anu Taranath, a speaker, facilitator, and faculty member at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she teaches about global literature, race, and equity, and directs study abroad programs on human rights.Anu is the author of Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World, a book that puts our movement across the world in a larger contex
Caucasus, Bosnia, and Pakistan with the Women Behind The Hybrid Tours
How do a nomadic Costa Rican-Polish-American and a British-Pakistani raised in Saudi Arabia start a travel company together?Today, we're going to find out. We're speaking with Sibu Szymanowska and Hira Aftab, co-founders of The Hybrid Tours, a travel company that uses the power of travel and storytelling to challenge stereotypes and foster connections with activists, refugees, and changemakers wor
First Time Travel to Jordan with Travel Advisor Vanessa Abbe (Re-Release)
Today, we're speaking with Vanessa Abbe, a travel advisor who joined me on my last group trip to Jordan. Travel to Jordan has dropped 90% in some cases in the last two years.In this conversation, I wanted to hear Vanessa's take on what it’s like to travel to Jordan for someone who’s never been, as we experienced the country largely empty of tourists together. We are running a 10-day trip to J
What a Stay in the Desert Is Like with Wadi Rum's Ahmad Mara'yeh (Re-Release)
Today, we travel to my favorite place on the planet: the desert of Wadi Rum in southern Jordan, to meet Ahmad Mara'yeh, a Bedouin man and co-founder of Rum Planet Camp.We are returning to Jordan next June! Join us June 5-14, 2026 on a 10-day trip to this country we love so much. We'll visit the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum, Amman, and many off-beaten spots in between. And yes, we will also stay with
This Travel Company Tackles Violence Against Women with Sororal’s Megan Ryder-Burbidge
One in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence (that’s according to UN Women). Yet, this rarely gets discussed outside of specialized circles. Today, we’re going to fix that.We're speaking with Megan Ryder-Burbidge, a global advocate for women’s equality and the co-founder and CEO of Sororal, a feminist travel company and advocacy brand reshaping how women experience the
Healing the World with Arab Jewish Mystic Hadar Cohen
If there is one episode you listen to this season, let it be this one. It revolves around these questions: how do we heal the world? How do we practice love?Today, we're speaking with Hadar Cohen, an Arab Jewish scholar, mystic, and artist whose work focuses on multi-religious spirituality, politics, social issues, and community building. Hadar comes from a 10th-generation Jerusalem family with li
Writing a Book and Other Wisdoms: What Our Group Calls Feel Like
Today, we're sharing a preview of the kinds of conversations we have during our monthly First Fridays group calls inside our paid Going Places members' community.You’ll hear from our paid members Dr. Anu Taranath, a University of Washington professor and lecturer on human rights, who wrote a book called Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World, and Dee Flower, a former park ranger an
Yulia Gets Interviewed by Matt Bowles of The Maverick Show
Today, we’re flipping the script and bringing you a conversation I recorded with a dear friend of mine, a longtime Palestinian activist Matt Bowles, for his podcast, The Maverick Show.On his podcast, Matt interviews people who work at the intersection of travel and activist spaces. On it, you’ll find interviews with people like Imani Bashir, a Black Muslim American who advocates for more Black peo
Unpacking Morocco’s Capital City with CCCL’s Farah Cherif D'Ouezzan
Today, we're speaking with Farah Cherif D'Ouezzan, an intercultural educator and founder of the Rabat, Morocco-based Center for Cross-Cultural Learning, which has been bringing groups of students and adult learners to Morocco for 30 years.Farah’s academic research focuses on religion, gender issues, youth participation, and cross-cultural understanding. She’s also the author of Speaking from Withi
On Gaza, Love, and Stereotypes with Saudi Photographer Tasneem Alsultan
Today, we're speaking with Tasneem Alsultan, a Saudi-American photographer known for her work on gender and social issues in Saudi Arabia and the region.Tasneem is the first Arab woman to become a Canon ambassador. She has primarily worked with The New York Times and National Geographic, but as you’ll hear in this episode, she has largely stopped collaborating with Western media outlets that
Our New Season Is Here!
Welcome back to the new season of the Going Places show! In the last few years, our show has undergone a transformation. As we continue witnessing the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza, and the dehumanization of entire groups in the media, we’ve questioned our role in travel media and felt powerless and hopeless to make any meaningful change.This show is our antidote to that hop
September Update: What We've Been Up To
Did you miss us? We missed you!In this episode of Going Places, I share updates on the podcast's return, my work on the book proposal (ICYMI: I'm writing a non-fiction book), and why independent journalism is more important than ever. I talk about our upcoming season, in which you'll hear interviews with a Saudi photographer, a Moroccan professor, and so much more, and share our plans for future p
Season Finale: The Privilege to Move Freely through the World
Today is the last episode of the season! I hope you enjoyed spending your time with us.We’re taking an eight-week break, during which I will focus on completing my two book proposals. Wish me luck! We will be back with new episodes in September.The ability to go anywhere is something that many of us probably don't pay much attention to in our day-to-day lives. If we have a powerful passport like t
Understanding Palestine with Activist and Entrepreneur Matt Bowles
Today, we’re speaking with Matt Bowles, a longtime Palestinian human rights activist.With a Master’s Degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, Matt has over two decades of human rights and activism experience. He led activist delegations to monitor human rights abuses in the north of Ireland, co-founded an organization to stop U.S. aid to Israel, organized solidarity delegations to th
The Spirit that Helped Okinawa Recover from WWII
Today, I'm sharing a story I wrote for the Adventure Travel Trade Association in 2024. It's about Yuimaru, the Okinawan spirit of cooperation that helped Okinawans move on from the tragedy of World War II.Okinawa is a small subtropical island in the East China Sea, halfway between China and Japan. In 1945, it endured one of the worst battles of the war, known as the Battle of Okinawa, during which
"Call Us a Bunch of Utopians" with Climate Activist Arto Sivonen
Today, we're speaking with Arto Sivonen, an activist and strategist fighting FOR human rights and AGAINST the climate crisis.Originally from Finland, Arto divides his time between Nairobi, Bengaluru, and Helsinki as the founder and CEO of Måndag, a creative change agency. A lot is happening in Africa and on the Indian subcontinent regarding young people leading movements for change, and Arto has t
Tourism Leakage and the Language of Decolonization with Vincie Ho: Part 2
Today, we’re continuing our conversation with Vincie Ho, a social justice educator and leader in travel who founded RISE Travel Institute.RISE is an award-winning nonprofit with a mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education. It is also a Going Places Founding Member. If you missed last week’s episode, be sure to catch up with the first part of our conversation with V
Decolonizing Travel with RISE Travel Institute's Vincie Ho: Part 1
Today, we’re speaking with Vincie Ho, the Founder and Executive Director of RISE Travel Institute, an award-winning nonprofit with a mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education. RISE is also a Going Places Founding Member. Born and raised in Hong Kong and now based in the United States, Vincie is a disruptor, nonprofit leader, seasoned educator, and woman immigrant o
Travel, Power, and the Role of Creators in a World on Fire
Today, I’d like to share with you a conversation I just had last week, in New York, on stage at the WITS Summit, the largest gathering of women travel creators organized by the Wanderful community and its CEO, Beth Santos.I attended WITS to moderate a panel called Travel, Power, and the Role of Creators in the World on Fire.With my brilliant co-panelists Janine Jervis, communications director for
Another World Is Possible with Journalist Natasha Hakimi Zapata
Today, we're speaking with Natasha Hakimi Zapata, an award-winning journalist based in Europe. She’s also the author of Another World Is Possible: Lessons for America From Around the Globe. The book came out a few months ago and has given me so much hope and inspiration for the United States.Most of us are closer to being homeless than we are to being millionaires, with only one healthcare disaste
Running the Oman Desert Marathon with Writer Joe Baur
Today, we're speaking with Joe Baur, a Berlin-based travel, food, and adventure writer and filmmaker. We first connected on a media trip to Okinawa, Japan, last Fall.Born and raised just outside of Cleveland, Joe has now circumvented the globe, hitting the trails as often as possible in search of stories and new ways to torture himself–all of which he documents on his YouTube channel. Become a Goi
The Human Right to Roam with Stockholm Archipelago's Marie Ostblom
Today, we're speaking with Marie Ostblom from the Stockholm Archipelago Trail. The archipelago, larger than the famous Greek islands, is so close to Stockholm that it might just be the city’s best-kept secret.The newly opened Stockholm Archipelago Trail connects 20 of the archipelago’s 30,000 islands via a series of footpaths made by goats, sheep, and Vikings.Become a Going Places member for as li
Alex Reynolds Would Make a Great World Dictator
Today, we're welcoming Alex Reynolds, a traveler building a radically different hostel in Pakistan's Ishkoman Valley.Alex is an American travel photographer, writer, and solo female traveler whose work has been featured on Lonely Planet, BBC Travel, AP News, and more. She’s scrambled up fortress ruins in Afghanistan, galloped horses across the Kyrgyz steppe, and motorbiked from Pakistan to France.
How You Can Take Part in Our Movement to Cultivate Hope
Welcome back to season 12! Today, we're digging into what you can expect from us going forward, our thoughts on the kind of place we're building in our corner of the internet, and how you can join us. I'll also share 5 reasons to join our reader- and audience-supported community, including getting on a monthly group call with Yulia every First Friday of the month.Become a Going Places member
This Season, We're Cultivating Hope
Welcome back to season 12! Going Places features weekly interviews with people near and far who make our world better. At the core of it, it's about cultivating hope. And we need that feeling of hope more than ever right now.Here's a preview of who you're going to meet in Season 12:Natasha Hakimi Zapata, an award-winning journalist who wrote a book called Another World is Possible: Lessons fo
The Traveler Going to Jordan for 17 Years with Janine Jervis (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: our new season returns next week! Today, we're speaking with Janine Jervis, a dear friend who's worked for Visit Jordan for 17 years and who currently serves as their North American Communications Director.Reminder: I'm running a 10-day group trip to Jordan this May. The trip runs from May 18th to 27th and you can get all the information by visiting here. The last day to j
In Barcelona for Vacation and Fertility Treatment (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: we're currently on hiatus, returning with new episodes in April 2025. Until then, we're sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archive each week. Today, I'm sharing with you perhaps one of my most personal stories. It was published in AFAR Magazine in 2022. Reminder: I'm running a 10-day group trip to Jordan this May. The trip runs from May 18th to 27th and you can get
Fodor's Travel Editor on Writing a Book with author Nikki Vargas (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: we're currently on hiatus, returning with new episodes in April 2025. Until then, we're sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archive each week. Today, we're speaking with Nikki Vargas, a senior editor at Fodor's Travel, founder of Unearth Women, and author of "Call You When I Land." In this travel memoir, Nikki shares her experiences navigating cultures and finding lo
The Nomadic Life of a French-Algerian Language Coach with Feriel Temmar (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: we're currently on hiatus, returning with new episodes in April 2025. Until then, we're sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archive each week. Today, we're speaking with Algerian-French language coach Feriel Temmar, who is based in Paris. Feriel was born in Algeria, grew up in London, West Africa, and New York, and worked in Canada before leaving it all behind and st
The Colombian-American Building El Camino Travel with Katalina Mayorga (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: we're currently on hiatus, returning with new episodes in April 2025. Until then, we're sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archive each week. Today, we're speaking with Katalina Mayorga, the founder of El Camino Travel, a travel community for women with a passion for culture.Reminder: I'm running a 10-day group trip to Jordan this May. The trip runs from May 18th to
Inside the Story of a 19-Member Tribal Nation with Journalist Karthika Gupta (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: we're currently on hiatus, returning with new episodes in April 2025. Until then, we're sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archive each week. Today, we're speaking with Chicago-based journalist and photographer Karthika Gupta. Her work has been featured in Vogue, BBC Travel, USA Today, Condé Nast Traveler, Fodors, AFAR, Travel & Leisure, Robb Report, and more. K
Between Karachi and NYC with Journalist Sarah Munir (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: we're currently on hiatus, returning with new episodes in April 2025. Until then, we're sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archive each week. Today, we're speaking with Sarah Munir, a journalist and tech executive who split her time between Karachi and New York before moving back to Karachi full-time. Reminder: I'm running a 10-day group trip to Jordan this May
The Power of Asking "Why Not?" with Lola Akinmade Åkerström (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: we're currently on hiatus, returning with new episodes in April 2025. Until then, we're sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archive each week. Today, we're speaking with Lola Akinmade Åkerström, an award-winning storyteller, travel photographer, writer, creator, TED speaker, and multi-book author. She's a Hasselblad Heroine and she runs the Stockholm-based travel con
The Privilege of Travel with Journalist Emy Rodriguez (Re-Release)
Note to listeners: we're currently on hiatus, returning with new episodes in April 2025. Until then, we're sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archive each week. Today, we're speaking with Emy Rodriguez, a freelance journalist from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. His writing has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Fodors, and many more magazines. Emy curr
Seeing Jordan for the First Time with Travel Advisor Vanessa Abbe
Today, we're speaking with Vanessa Abbe, a travel advisor who joined me on my trip to Jordan last October. In this conversation, which we had live on Instagram recently, I wanted to hear her take on what it’s like traveling in the country right now. Reminder: I'm running a 10-day group trip to Jordan this May. The trip runs from May 18th to 27th and you can get all the information by visiting
Five Places You Shouldn’t Miss in Jordan (Plus: Is It Safe to Go Now?)
Today’s episode is a field guide for traveling to Jordan in 2025. We’ll answer urgent questions about travel safety in Jordan, look at some of the most incredible places in Jordan you shouldn’t miss, and hear from our past travelers who went to Jordan with me last fall. Reminder: I'm running a 10-day group trip to Jordan this May. The trip runs from May 18th to 27th and you can get all the in
Enemy of the Sun: Disrupting Colonial Narratives with Artist Dana Barqawi
Today, we're meeting Dana Barqawi, a multidisciplinary artist and urban planner based in Amman, Jordan. Dana’s multimedia work challenges colonial narratives and explores Indigenous identities and aspects of womanhood and community.Growing up with women who painted, sewed, designed, and made art, Dana has a long-standing fascination with detail. She works from a workshop studio in Jabal al Weibdeh
A Hidden Cave of Treasures with Calligraphy Artist Hussein Alazaat
Today, I’m sharing with you a conversation that is going to be quite different from anything we’ve done on the show to date. We’re going to do a studio visit to meet a dear friend, a renowned calligrapher, artist, and designer Hussein Alazaat who lives and works in Amman, Jordan. Hussein is the founder of Elharf Studio, a platform showcasing rare books, design products, and sources of Arab vi
The Exciting Work of Imagining a New World with Justine Abigail Yu: Pt 2
Today, we’re continuing part two of our conversation with Justine Abigail Yu, a Filipina-Canadian storyteller, community builder, and activist. Justine is the founder of Living Hyphen, a community and multimedia platform that explores what it means to live in between cultures as a hyphenated Canadian – that is, an individual who calls Canada home but has roots elsewhere.Get 20% off of an
Living In Between Cultures with Changemaker Justine Abigail Yu: Part 1
Welcome back to the show and welcome to 2025! Thank you for being with us all throughout this season.Today, we’re talking with Justine Abigail Yu, the founder of Living Hyphen, a community and multimedia platform that explores what it means to live in between cultures as a hyphenated Canadian – that is, an individual who calls Canada home but who has roots elsewhere.Justine is a Filipina-Canadian
Custodians of Wonder with BBC Travel's Eliot Stein (Re-Release)
Today, we’re talking with Eliot Stein, a journalist, writer, book author, and deputy editor at BBC Travel. Eliot and I first got to know each other through our shared passion for stories that reveal something about a place through the lens of tradition and unique cultural practices.Eliot has edited a few of my stories at BBC Travel, where he started a column called Custom Made that highlights cult
12 Things You Didn’t Know about Nordic Christmas (Plus, Meet Yulia’s AI Clone)
Today on the show, we’re traveling to Scandinavia because it's almost Christmas time.The holiday season is probably my favorite time to be in this region. I grew up in Estonia, a small country just south of Finland that, while not technically part of Scandinavia, has strong cultural ties with the Nordic countries. In my childhood, these Nordic ways to celebrate Christmas were common and today, I'm
Palestine-born Artist Firas Zreik on Playing the Music of His People
Firas Zreik is a Palestine-born, NY-based composer and player of Kanun, a traditional Arabic string instrument. He has performed and recorded in varied styles including Arabic Maqam and jazz and collaborated with many international artists such as Residente, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, Shreya Ghoshal, and others. His debut EP "Solo" came out in 2021 and his most recent release is a 2023 f
Counting Countries with Avid Traveler Ric Gazarian (Who’s Been to 181)
Ric Gazarian is an avid traveler who has visited all seven continents and 181 countries on his quest to visit every country in the world. He is also the host of the popular long-format podcast Counting Countries and the founder of the Extraordinary Travel Festival. Travel with us to some of the world’s lesser-known places like Abkhazia and Mauritania and hear what Ric learned about humanity by vis
Fighting for Women’s Rights in Kazakhstan with Journalist Aisana Ashim
Aisana Ashim is a Kazakh journalist and civil movement activist. She is the founder of the independent media agency The Village Kazakhstan, and the co-founder of Masa Media, a political education project. In 2021, Aisana launched Batyr Jamal, an independent media platform aimed at empowering women and girls in Kazakhstan, focusing on their rights, safety, and self-worth.Get ready to learn more abo
Why Artists Must Speak Now with Emmy-Winning Storyteller Evita Robinson
Evita Turquoise Robinson is an Emmy award-winning storyteller who tells and amplifies stories about the BIPOC communities worldwide. She's also the founder of NOMADNESS Travel Tribe — a community of 40,000 Black and brown travelers worldwide with its own festival, the Nomadness Fest. Laugh, cry, and tune in with us as we unpack what it means to create in this time of poly crisis on Earth.Evita has
Going Places Is Back!
Today, stories matter more than ever. This season on Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk, we travel across the world to bring you imaginative stories about the people we meet: from the journalist fighting for women's rights in Kazakhstan to the man who believes borders are but a fiction and the Finnish keeper of ancient sauna traditions. Get to know incredible places and the people that call them hom
Bedouin Hospitality With Wadi Rum’s Ahmad Mara'yeh (Re-Release)
Today, we travel to the heart of Wadi Rum Desert in Southern Jordan with Ahmad Mara'yeh, a Bedouin man and co-founder of Rum Planet Camp.In this episode, Ahmad shares why understanding the local culture and connecting with its community is as vital as experiencing its landscapes.We also touch on the impact of tourism on Wadi Rum and how Ahmad has incorporated sustainable practices into his family’
A Multipotentialite on a Mission to Empower the African Diaspora (Re-Release)
Today, we're speaking with Lindsay Gary, a Houston-based professor-scholar, multi-disciplinary artivist, and social entrepreneur on a mission to educate, connect, and empower the African diaspora in the US.In this episode, Lindsay talks about staying true to your purpose, finding time in our busy days to dedicate to what matters, and the value of asking important questions as a method for finding
A Kenyan Photojournalist Returns Home with Khadija Farah (Re-Release)
In today's episode, I speak to Khadija Farah, a travel and documentary photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya. Khadija’s work appears in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Guardian and more.Khadija is a member of Inland Stories, an international cooperative of long-term documentary photographers. Her work is part of the 2020 Lit List by Authority Collective, Women Photograph, Diversify Pho
Escaping Arranged Marriage in India with Vibha Chokhani (Re-Release)
Growing up in Mumbai with her extended family, Vibha Chokhani was destined to live a traditional lifestyle. Women in her life were married young and spent their days as homemakers, yet this path never felt right to her. First woman in her family to get divorced, to get a master degree, and to live in a foreign country, Vibha has learned how to step into the unknown and in this episode, she tr
Season Finale: What Europe Gets About Rest (and the US Doesn’t)
Today on the show, we're exploring the idea of rest (including cognitive rest), how the US culture sees it differently from Europeans, and what the relationship is between rest and creativity. And stick around in the end for a special announcement. Featured on the show:Read the CNBC report on US attitudes toward vacationRead the Financial Times article, Europeans have more time, Americans mor
Hope Is Something You Create with Palestinian Peacemaker Aziz Abu Sarah
Aziz Abu Sarah is a peace builder, cultural educator, entrepreneur, author and international speaker. He’s also a Palestinian man who lost his brother to the Israeli soldiers and who is currently working with his Israeli partner, Maoz Inon, to imagine a new vision for both Palestinians and Israelis. If there is only one episode you will tune in to this season, let it be this one, because it w
Writing a Book in the Age of AI with Wanderful’s CEO Beth Santos
Beth Santos is a passionate entrepreneur and community builder who many women in the travel industry will recognize as the CEO and founder of Wanderful, an international collective of travelers and travel content creators on a mission to make travel better for all women. Beth is the author of WANDER WOMAN: How to Reclaim Your Space, Find Your Voice, and Travel the World (2024). In this conversatio
Hong Kong’s Disappearing Traditions with Author Lindsay Varty
Villain hitters. Fortune tellers. Bamboo cage makers. Meet the people keeping Hong Kong's traditions alive. Lindsay Varty is an author and former professional rugby player from Hong Kong who writes about Cantonese culture and history in an attempt to generate a greater love and understanding of her home for herself and her readers. So today on the show, we're traveling to Hong Kong with Lindsay an
Why Jordan Is Yulia's Favorite Place (Re-Release)
Today on the show, I’m sharing with you an episode that first came out last September, in which the table is turned on me and I am, for once, in the guest seat, as my friend and podcast producer Noelia Sanchez interviews me about Jordan, one of my favorite places on Earth.What you’ll learn in this episode:The origin story of my relationship with Jordan Yulia's favorite places in JordanWhat people
Lebanon’s Joie de Vivre with TourLeb’s Nada Raphael: Part 2
Today on the show: Part 2 of our conversation with Nada Raphael, a journalist, storyteller, and traveler based in Beirut, who, together with her partner Joelle Sfeir has co-founded Tourleb, a socially responsible tour operator that aims to promote local, women-owned and family operated businesses while changing the narrative about Lebanon. This is Part 2 of our two-part episode.What you
Beyond the Headlines in Lebanon with TourLeb’s Nada Raphael: Part 1
Nada Raphael is a Lebanese journalist, storyteller, and traveler, who, together with her partner Joelle Sfeir has co-founded Tourleb, a socially responsible tour operator that aims to promote local, women-owned and family operated businesses while changing the narrative about Lebanon. Get ready to travel to Lebanon with Nada and me and dismantle some myths about it while we’re at it. Th
Unpacking Intersectional Travel with Journalist Imani Bashir
Imani Bashir is a world-traveling storyteller, mother, and advocate who's lived in five countries across four continents, including Egypt, Poland, and Malaysia. Her work focuses on culturally immersive social media content highlighting various atrocities and initiatives to support marginalized communities worldwide. Get ready to be immersed in this important topic: how do we travel in a way that i
CNTraveler: In Jordan, a Community Disrupted Awaits Travel’s Return
Today, I’m sharing a story I wrote for Conde Nast Traveler called In Jordan, a Community Disrupted Awaits Travel’s Return. I traveled to Jordan this February amid the ongoing war on Gaza by the Israeli government. This story was the outcome of this trip. Featured on the show:Read Yulia's CN Traveler story, In Jordan, a Community Disrupted Awaits Travel’s ReturnListen to Episode 113, Palestine
Traveling to Kurdistan with ATTA’s CEO Shannon Stowell
If I could summarize this conversation with one phrase, it would be something Shannon said: “When people meet each other they find out that the other is not so other.”Shannon Stowell is the CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, an organization for travel industry partners that believes travel can be a powerful force for good in the world. Shannon has spent over 30 years working in adventu
Palestine, Orientalism, and Solidary Movements with Matt Bowles
Welcome back to Going Places!Matt Bowles is a veteran location-independent entrepreneur and host of The Maverick Show. I recently sat down with Matt to do a two-part series for his show. Matt has been doing activism work in solidarity with the Palestinian movement for the past 25 years, and in this conversation, we cover how he and I first became aware of the Palestinian struggle and movement, Ori
On Dating & Building a Content Empire with Journalist Jen Ruiz
Welcome back to Going Places! We’re speaking to Jen Ruiz, a lawyer turned full-time travel writer, blogger, and content creator. Jen is a 5-time Amazon bestselling author, 3x TEDx speaker, and 4-time award-winning journalist. She is also the solo female traveler behind Jen on a Jet Plane, with an audience of over 350,000 social media followers. In this conversation, Jen and I discuss dating while
Welcome to Season 10!
Welcome back to Season 10 of Going Places, everyone! I'm your host Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel photographer, writer, storyteller, community builder, podcaster, filmmaker, educator, and entrepreneur working on stories from around the world for top global publications, traveling to places like Botswana and the Arctic Circle, and producing stories about people that live and work in those
Season Finale: Can Travel Change The World?
Welcome back to Going Places, everyone! This season on the show, we learned about Bedouin hospitality, heard from Ammani artists on Gaza, traveled to Italy in search of the world’s rarest silk, and more.I hope you enjoyed the new show format - and if you did, please take a moment to leave us a rating or a review on Apple podcasts or Spotify. I appreciate it! This episode and the entire season
In Jordan, Amelia Bilbeisi Produces The World’s Top Olive Oil
Welcome back to Going Places! Today, we have a conversation with Amelia Bilbeisi, co-founder of Maida Olive Oil, known as Onsuri Olive Oil in North America. Amelia produces one of the world's most premium olive oils on a farm deep inside a Jordanian desert. Tasting this olive oil, designated ultra premium quality, a coveted grade only 5 percent of the world's olive oil producers meet, has opened m
Inside The Story of A 19-Member Tribal Nation With Journalist Karthika Gupta
Join us in this episode in conversation with Chicago-based travel journalist and photographer Karthika Gupta. Her work has been featured in Vogue, BBC Travel, USA Today, Condé Nast Traveler, Fodors, AFAR, Travel & Leisure, Robb Report, and more. Karthika is also the founder of Culturally Ours, a platform dedicated to promoting cultural understanding and celebrating global diversity.In this epi
Call You When I Land with Author Nikki Vargas
Welcome back to Going Places! Today, I'm thrilled to reconnect with Nikki Vargas, a senior editor at Fodor's Travel and the founder of Unearthed Women joins me to discuss her latest book, "Call You When I Land." In this travel memoir, Nikki shares her profound experiences navigating cultures, finding love, and discovering herself along the way. Throughout our conversation, Nikki sheds light o
The Story of The World’s Rarest Silk with BBC Travel’s Eliot Stein
Today, we'll learn about the story of the world's rarest silk with writer, editor, and now book author Eliot Stein. Eliot and I first got to know each other through our shared passion for the types of stories that reveal something about a place through the lens of tradition and unique cultural practices.Eliot has edited a few of my stories at BBC Travel, where he currently serves as the deputy edi
Ancient Baking Culture In The Land of The World's Oldest Bread
In this episode of "Going Places," I'm sharing a very special story I wrote for Conde Nast Traveler this summer called In the Land of the World's Oldest Bread, A Return to an Ancient Baking Culture.We'll journey together to the heart of Jordan, where baking is not just about sustenance but a profound cultural legacy. Join me as we explore how bread is intricately woven into the fabric of Jordan's
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