The Amateur Traveler podcast is the creation of Chris Christensen.

How long have you been podcasting?

My first episode went out July 9th of 2005.

Tell us about your show and who should be listening to it?

My show is about travel and travel stories. It is intended for people who love to travel or at least dream about travel. Since I don’t do enough travel myself, the show often features an interview. The guest might be a personal friend, a fellow podcaster, a listener, or a travel professional. We share travel tips, things you would not learn from the guidebook, funny travel stories and surprises.

I knew I wanted to do a podcast before I knew what the podcast would be about. Then on Memorial Day in 2005 we had friends over and I realize that most of the best stories people told had to do with travel.

What is your background?

By day I am the Executive Vice President of Engineering and Operations for a company that creates internet community for major companies like Campbells, HBO, eBay and the NBA. So, the technical part of podcasting has never been a challenge. I still hand code my RSS feed.

Other than a little experience at my college radio station I had not done any audio work before starting podcasting, although I have done a fair amount of public speaking. I do, however, come from a long line of story tellers. Some day I will do a podcast about the stories my father told me growing up: the time my grandfather walked into the bank while it was being robbed, the story about their dog that saved my aunt from a rattlesnake, etc.

Growing up we did a lot of traveling for vacation, usually pulling a small trailer between various national parks. The success of a vacation for the Christensens was measured with an odometer.

I enjoy learning new languages before I travel and have studied German, French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Turkish, Russian, Swahili and Greek. I find the language to be a great window into a culture. For instance in Swahili the language uses the same word for guest and stranger. In Chinese the character for good is a woman with a baby. Although I have studied a number of languages I am only fluent in English and that only when properly caffeinated.

Is there anything else your listeners should know about you, your show, etc?
Two of my passions are learning new things and humor. I think both are reflected in the show. A number of people have commented that the show has a “comfortable” style. I like that. I think my grandfather would be pleased with that.

Have you gotten any interesting press coverage?

National Geographic Traveler said in their April 2006 edition:

“Some podcasts have gained a minor cult following. For example, some 1,000 listeners follow Californian Chris Christensen’s Amateur Traveler series, a mix of personal adventures, travel news, and helpful tips.”

Men’s Journal said in their September 2006 edition:

“One of the 4 best adventure travel podcasts”

The Chicago Sun Times included the show in their list of 10 “Best travel sites” in April 2007:

“We’re thrilled when we stumble on diamonds in the rough like AmateurTraveler.com. This relaxed weekly podcast hosted by Chris Christensen offers travel tips, news and interviews with fellow explorers that provide that personal perspective missing from most guidebooks. A player imbedded on the site makes listening convenient, and amateur videos provide front-and-center glimpses of some of Christensen’s treks.”

Best Life Magazine, a men’s magazine, named a list of the “The 10 best podcasts on the Internet“ in the May 2008 edition. In addition to two shows from NPR, the TED conference, the Economist, they named the Amateur Traveler.

Chris Christensen created “Amateur Traveler,” a weekly hour-long audio and video podcast, to keep you as far away from tourists wearing jean shorts and Big Johnson T-shirts as possible. Each episode explores world destinations with guidebook writers, journalists, and veteran nomads. You’ll learn the best place to find lobster paella in Barcelona, how to motorbike through India, and where to go for a far-flung family vacation. Whet your wanderlust by scrolling through the archive of more than 125 past broadcasts.

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