The Best Of The First 10 Years of Amateur Traveler

by Chris Christensen

categories: Uncategorized tags: article

Amateur Traveler is Years 10 Old…

…and we have gone a few places or at least talked about them.

As I thought about the last 10 years here are some of the episodes that stick out in my memory:

These episodes changed the Amateur Traveler:

Traveling Around Round The World – Episode 10 – while the first interview for the Amateur Traveler was episode 5, this is probably the one that made me realize how much more fun doing an interview show would be.
Travel to Egypt – Episode 36 – If you appreciate the time we put into editing the Amateur Traveler (and you should) then you have Chuck to thank. He said he would come on the show if I edited it. Think of the many many hours this friend has cost me.
Travel to Flanders in Belgium – Episode 399 – This episode won a Lowell Thomas award from the Society of American Travel Writers. The first, I think, to win in the audio category for an strictly online show.

These episodes influenced my own personal travel:

Travel to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico – Episode 163 – Zora’s description of this part of Mexico made me really want to get there. She talks about out of the way ruins that we thoroughly enjoyed!
Travel to Iceland – Episode 204 – I have not yet done the whole ring road that Dave talks about but I want to get back and do the rest of the drive.

Some of my favorites:

Travel to America’s National Parks – Episode 121 – a love letter to America’s national parks
Travel to Oklahoma – Episode 295 – Robert Reid, then from Lonely Planet, also gets points for the most literary references in one episode

These episodes were the start of friendships:

Travel to Western Australia – Episode 136 – Nomadic Matt has told me that being on the Amateur Traveler was one of his first big breaks
Travel to Micronesia – Episode 128 – Gary is now one of the leading travel bloggers but he had just gotten started on his travels when we caught up for this show. Now he and I have also done 190 episodes of This Week in Travel together. Gary now has his own podcast.
Solo Travel as a Woman – Episode 107 – Sherry became a full-time travel blogger after I suggested it after we talked for the first time. My apologies to Sherry’s mom.
and so many others…

These are now on my bucket list:

Travel to Ethiopia – Episode 79 – Chris Willis gave me the best episode pitch ever (Swimming with Whales off Tonga – Episode 38) but it was this episode about the stone churches in Ethiopia that I am longing to see.
Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda – Episode 80 – OK and this one from Chris also

What have you learned from the Amateur Traveler?
Where have you gone because of the Amateur Traveler?

by Chris Christensen

Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler blog and podcast. He has been a travel creator since 2005 and has won awards including being named the "Best Independent Travel Journalist" by Travel+Leisure Magazine.

+Chris Christensen | @chris2x | facebook

4 Responses to “The Best Of The First 10 Years of Amateur Traveler”

Kirk Beiser

Says:
July 10th, 2015 at 9:13 am

I particularly liked the Komodo Island (ep 454) and Churchhill, CA (ep411). A lot of other great ones but those particularly stand out as favorites. I keep finding great blogs about Flores and Komodo and I am in the midst of planning a trip in the next 1-2 years to do Kelimutu, Komodo and the island of Flores.