Change is afoot for the ladies of XX, Will Travel, dear listeners! Tune in to find out more!

XX, Will Travel: A Podcast for Independent Women Travelers

A Special Message From Kathy & Ines

Back in 2014, career expert and content strategist Julie Hocheiser Ilkovich packed her bags and moved to Belize for 6 weeks with her husband. How ddid she do it? We ask her about her decision to become a digital nomad, how she prepared for the trip, and what she learned about the Central American country of Belize and herself during her stay. Julie and Ines--fresh from her trip to San Ignacio and Cay Caulker--also share their best Belize travel tips including must-see excursions and ruins in the Cayo District, the surprising cosmopolitan food scene in tiny Cay Caulker, all the not-to-be-missed water sports and tours, and more!  Love XX, Will Travel? Don't miss an episode! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and and join our online women's travel community.  Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.

Traveling in Belize with Career Expert Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich

Arts educator and storyteller Eileen Tull recently returned from her first trip to Europe, which was also her first trip abroad as a sober traveler. Eileen traveled solo through Paris, a unique situation given France's deep-rooted wine culture. She not only shares the story of her unpexpectedly extended journey (thanks, airlines!), but also reveals her strategies for traveling as a person in recovery. We also discuss ways to support and be an ally to travel partners who are in recovery and the importance of setting boundaries. And we can't forget Eileen's adventures on French Tinder (oh la la!) and how Harrison Ford is quite possibly the best coping mechanism for the travel weary.  Love XX, Will Travel? Don't miss an episode! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and and join our online women's travel community.  Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.

Traveling While Sober with Storyteller Eileen Tull

Kathy and Ines discuss Kathy's most recent trip, which included an extended stay in the tiny but mighty country of Belgium. Kathy tells us why she was charmed by Ghent's quaintness, why Bruges is the "look at me!" middle child, and why Brussels is so underrated. She also names some of her favorite sites in all three cities, including churches, plazas, churches, museums, churches, swans, churches, and also some more churches. Find out how Maximilian of Austria's hatred of Bruges shaped the city, what Ghent does to welcome new babies, and why Brussel's Museum of Musical Instrument should be on every traveler's list. Plus, tips on Belgium beer, waffles, and frites!  PS: JOIN OUR ONLINE TRAVEL COMMUNITY!!! (Pretty please???)  Love XX, Will Travel? Don't miss an episode! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel    

Traveling in Brussels, Bruges and Ghent, Belgium

Chicago-based comedian Mona Aburmishan has lived and toured all over the world. Mona tells us about how she came to travel the globe as a comic and how she uses comedy as an instrument for unity and peace. Mona's Palestinian-American background and her work in international development give her observational humor a global spin that is often missing from mainstream comedy. Her fresh and unique voice definitely makes her someone to watch. Mona was the first Arab and Muslim woman to perform stand up comedy in the most prestigious institutions in the United States. She was featured at Carnegie Hall in New York City as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Similarly, Mona was featured in the first ever US Consulate-sponsored Comedy Festival in the West Bank. In addition to these performances, Mona recently returned from Dubai where she headlined Comedy Central Presents for Comedy Central Arabia.   Love XX, Will Travel? Don't miss an episode! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and and join our online women's travel community.  Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.    

Traveling as a Comedian with Stand-Up Comic Mona Aburmishan

We're finally taking on Ines's home country--Peru! We're here to answer all your pressing questions abou the land of the Incas from both a local and a tourist perspective. Find out how to get to Machu Picchu either via trekking or the "lazy way", discover what other sights and ruins there are to see in Cuzco, get recommendations on some of our favorite eats, and learn the different ways that the altitude can effect you and what to do about it. Then we take on Peru's capital city, Lima, which happens to be Ines's hometown. We discuss how Lima went from "la horrible" to booming, wax poetic on its world-renowned food scene, talk about the many things to see and do, and guide you the best neighborhoods for accomodations. Plus, Ines tells you why you should never take a cab off the street, discusses little known facts on Peruvian history, and shares how the city has changed in recent years. Want more Peru? Kathy also tells us about her side trip to Puno and Ines lists all the other places that are worth visiting but don't get nearly as much attentions as they should.  PS: JOIN OUR ONLINE TRAVEL COMMUNITY!!! (Pretty please???)  Love XX, Will Travel? Don't miss an episode! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel

Traveling in Cuzco and Lima, Peru

Just in time for the Oscars, it's our episode on travel and film! We asked for your favorite movies that were either travel-themed or inspired you to take a trip and you answered with more than 200 movies and TV shows. We count down your top 10, discuss our faves and give our takes on the most wanderlust-worthy Academy Award nominees, past and present. Kathy also recounts her 2016 trip to Los Angeles, California for Oscar weekend. (For the full story, check out our episode on LA.)  And we can't forget our special guests! The Cutaways are a dynamic duo of lady podcasters/filmmakers from LA. They watch one rom-com a week in chronological order and then break it down on their podcast. Co-host Justine Gendron joins us to share her top three travel-themed rom-coms.  We also welcome travel journalist and set-jetting expert Gretchen Kelly of Extreme Luxury Getaways. Gretchen has written extensively on the phenomenon of set-jetting, or visiting locations where movies and TV shows are filmed, for Forbes.com, the New York Post, Frommers.com, and more. She also gives suggestions on where to go to see the real-life settings of your favorite films and shows.  PS: JOIN OUR ONLINE TRAVEL COMMUNITY!!! (Pretty please???)    Love XX, Will Travel? Don't miss an episode! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel Follow XX, Will Travel on Instagram: @XXWillTravel

Travel in Movies and Film

Long seen as a troubled nation, Haiti isn't usually on many people's list of travel destinations. But after 45's very unsavory comments about the country came to light, we wanted to know: What is Haiti actually like? We sat down with journalist Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, who recently visited Haiti for Port-Au-Prince's International Jazz Festival and considered the trip one of the highlights of her life. Rosalind shares all there is to love about Haiti: from its beautiful mountain landscape, to the stunning architecture of the Citadelle, the rich history found in the National Museum of Haiti, to the delights of Haitain cuisine and the warmth of its people. Find out how you can visit the island and, more importantly, why you should fall head-over-heels for it.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel Follow XX, Will Travel on Instagram: @XXWillTravel

A Love Letter to Haiti with Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

A lot has changed about the New York Times list of 52 Place to Go in 2018 but one thing remains the same: our love/hate relationship with it. Listen as we go on our third annual rant about where we've been, where we'd like to go and how (or how not) to use the list to plan your next travel destination. We also discuss the selection of Jada Yuan, who beat out 13,000 other applicants to become the first 52 Places correspondent.  Check out our other episodes for more in-depth details on places covered in the list:  Cambodia Costa Rica Baja Mexico Iceland Disney New Zealand   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel Follow XX, Will Travel on Instagram: @XXWillTravel

New York Times List of 52 Places to Go in 2018

Chicago writer Gina Frangello, the author of Every Kind of Wanting and A Life in Men (one of our personal faves!), sets her novels in locations around the world, and the theme of travel as self-exploration runs deep. We talk to Gina about how travel affects her as a writer and as a woman, as well as some of techniques she uses to incorporate it into her writing. We also discuss how Gina came from a family who never traveled to someone who explores the markets of Nairobi with her daughters in tow. PS: Have you heard of Bombay Beach, California? Gina talks about her recent trip to the post-apocalyptic beach town with its own dead sea.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel Follow XX, Will Travel on Instagram: @XXWillTravel

Writing Great Fiction Based on Real Travels with Gina Frangello, Author of A Life in Men

It's back! Our annual episode on 2018 travel goals and resolutions is here. Listeners sent us what they wanted to accomplish, travel-wise, in the coming year and we have tips on how to help them achieve it. We cover (more) budget issues, tell you our favorite savings apps, cheap ways to save on accommodation like housesitting, pet sitting and couch surfing, give you info on workaway options, suggest some road trips routes,  share our secrets for maximizing your vacation days, and tackle destinations like Amsterdam, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, river boat cruises on the Mississippi, New Zealand, Guadalupe, Argentina, Alaska, the Finger Lakes Region, Turkey, Montreal and much more! Plus, we share our own travel plans for the year ahead. 

2018 Travel Goals and Listener Questions

Land of Enchantment or Land of Entrapment? New Mexico is one of the most beautiful states in the country and its capital, Santa Fe, is buzzing with one of the nation's largest art scene, breathtaking scenery and rich history. We discuss everything there is to love about Santa Fe including hard-to-describe Meow Wolf, the monastic experience of Ojo Caliente spa, the Native American resistance in Taos Pueblo, the non-existent nightlife, and more!  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel Follow XX, Will Travel on Instagram: @XXWillTravel

Traveling in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Wendy McClure has visited nearly every Laura Ingalls Wilder-related site in the US as part of her research for her book, The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie. From Pepin, Wisconsin (the Big Woods) to Walnut Grove (the setting of the Little House TV series) to Burr Oak, Iowa (a lost chapter in Ingalls family history), Wendy has seen it all. She's visited dugouts and lean-tos and even Almanzo Wilder's boyhood home in upstate New York. Kathy also discusses her recent literary tourism pilgrimage to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri, the home of Laura, Almanzo and Rose and the place where the books were written. Kathy and Ines were thrilled to expound upon their love of the Little House books with a kindred spirit. They also discuss their love for the Little House on the Prairie TV show, including the more over-the-top episodes (anyone else remember the mime rapist?). Listen as Wendy busts some myths and shares some laughs and helps you decide once and for all: are you an Almanzonian or a non-Almanzonian?  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel Follow XX, Will Travel on Instagram: @XXWillTravel

Little House on the Prairie and Laura Ingalls Wilder Tourism with Wendy McClure, Author of the Wilder Life

Sometimes the worst part of planning a trip happens after the trip. Coming back to reality can be tough, but we have a few good ways to cope. In our final installment of our How to Plan a Trip from Scratch series, we sit down with mindfulness expert Kristen Brendel of Per la Vita Wellness. We discuss what we can do before a trip to make our return easier, how to relax in a new setting, what to do if we fear flying, how to deal with a stressful travel partner, and more.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel Follow XX, Will Travel on Instagram: @XXWillTravel

How to Plan a Trip from Scratch: Dealing with the Post-Vacation Blues and Other Travel Anxieties with Kristen Brendel of Per La Vita Wellness

Jennifer Kramer is one of the founders of Baja Test Kitchen, as well the author of the Moon Baja Travel Guide. In this episode, Jen shares her favorite spots to eat, drink and soak up the Mexican culture, with a special emphasis on Valle de Guadalupe. Over the last several years, Valle de Guadalupe has exploded in terms of amazing wines and creative culinary offerings. Jen also gives us the scoop on the women winemakers who are taking Valle de Guadalupe by storm. Also discussed: how to pick the food and wine tour that's right for you, winetasting etiquette 101, and the truth about all those state department issued travel warnings for Mexico. Mexico's Baja California region is an easy day trip from San Diego, but you'll definitely need more than one day to eat and drink your way through all the deliciousness. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Like XX, Will Travel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xxwilltravel/ Follow XX, Will Travel on Twitter: @XXWillTravel Follow XX, Will Travel on Instagram: @XXWillTravel

Traveling in Baja California, Mexico with Jen Kramer of Baja Test Kitchen & Moon Travel Guides

Travelistas Ines & Kathy share interviews, stories & tips on independent women's travel. Designed for every travel experience level, from first timers to solo travelers.