Unpacked by Afar

Welcome to Feel-Good Fridays. Every Friday from now through the end of June, Unpacked is popping into your feed with a brand-new series designed to carry you into the weekend a little lighter. Each episode, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are joined by a different Afar staffer to share three travel stories that made them smile, tear up (in a good way), or rethink what's possible. Funny, inspiring, heartwarming—the only rule is no downers. For our debut episode, we're joined by Afar's Michelle Baran, who brings her own dose of feel-good to the mic. Together, the three of them share: – A celebrated food writer's reintroduction to her own hometown, and what travel can teach us about grief, grace, and seeing familiar streets with new eyes – A long-awaited transit milestone in a famously car-bound American city—and what it could mean for one of the world's biggest upcoming sporting events – A Vienna café where the pastries come with a side of intergenerational wisdom (and the bakers might just remind you of your own grandmother) Plus: a childhood alter ego involving wigs, doorbells, and a traveling comedy duo we did not see coming. Tune in every Friday through June for a fresh trio of stories from Afar's favorite travel writers and editors. We'll see you next week. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to Feel-Good Friday 00:01:30 A Food Writer Rediscovers Her City 00:04:30 LA Finally Builds the Train 00:09:00 The Grandmas of Vienna 00:12:30 A Childhood Story We Had to Share Resources – Yewande Komolafe's writing for The New York Times – LA Metro's D Line extension (opened May 2026) – Vollpension, the granny-run bakery and café in Vienna Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when the person who knows how to tow has to leave — and you're left with a 5,000-pound Airstream, an electric truck, and 800 miles of Oregon coast ahead of you? On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene shares the story of the eight-day road trip she and her wife Jeannie took down the Oregon coast in August — towing an Airstream Basecamp 20 XE with a Rivian Tri-Motor R1T, with exactly zero towing experience between them. What was supposed to be a fully sustainable cycling-and-camping trip with friends became a crash course in trailer physics, EV charging, and the unexpected generosity of the RV community. In this episode you'll learn How Aislyn and her partner, Jeannie, went from zero towing experience to navigating a 5,000-pound Airstream down 500 miles of Oregon coast—and what actually made it possible The RV community secret nobody tells first-timers: once you've parked, everyone sits back and watches you do it Why the Rivian R1T's onboard charging calculator made range anxiety a non-issue, even towing a trailer across eight charging stops What Fort Stevens, Nehalem Bay, Cape Lookout, and Sunset Bay State Park each taught them about slowing down and asking for help The case for traveling in a way that forces you to rely on strangers—and why it felt especially powerful right now Plan your own Oregon coast trip Stay at the campgrounds we loved: Fort Stevens State Park, Nehalem Bay State Park, Cape Lookout State Park , and Bay Point Landing in Coos Bay. For your sunset swim: Sunset Bay State Park, south of Coos Bay. Plan your Oregon trip with Afar's Oregon guide. Read more about Afar's guide to road trips, including EV trips Borrow or rent a Rivian R1T and explore the Rivian Adventure Network — many sites along Highway 101 are designed for trailer-friendly pull-throughs. Tow an Airstream Basecamp 20 XE — Airstream's small, off-grid-friendly trailer built in partnership with REI. Chapters 00:00:00 The Plan vs. The Reality 00:03:30 Picking Up the Airstream Alone 00:06:10 First Drive on the Highway 00:08:30 Our First Parking Angel 00:11:00 The Nehalem Bay Disaster 00:14:30 Cape Lookout, Finally 00:18:30 A Bolt Falls Out 00:20:30 Why the Rivian Was the Hero 00:23:30 Sunset Bay 00:25:30 Coming Home Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Unpacked, Five Questions, a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of one great travel story. In this episode, executive editor Katherine LaGrave sits down with documentary photographer Nathalie Mohadjer, whose images of the desert oasis of Siwa appear in Afar's winter 2026 issue. For four weeks in Siwa, an ancient town some 450 miles from Cairo, Nathalie traded the typical three-day shoot for a slower kind of immersion — sharing breakfasts in the old town, spending afternoons with a local woman named Fatima, and bathing in a hidden cold spring with her family's kids. She talks with Katherine about photographing a community where Siwan women are rarely seen by outsiders, why patience and respect matter more than the camera itself, and how losing your sense of time in the desert can change the way you see a place. She also shares advice for travelers heading to Siwa — and the one moment she chose not to capture. Meet this week's guest Nathalie Mohadjer is a German-Iranian documentary photographer based in Paris whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Monocle, and Le Monde. Episode highlights How a stranger waving from a window in Siwa's ruins led to weeks of access to a local family's home, kitchen, and hidden swimming spots Why Nathalie spent nearly four weeks in Siwa — and what that kind of time reveals about a place that most visitors see in three or four days The ethics and art of photographing people in other cultures: when to put the camera away, and how to earn the moment rather than take it What makes Siwa's community so distinct from the rest of Egypt — and the Berber and Tuareg roots that shape its culture Nathalie's practical advice for travelers heading to Siwa: slow down, talk to strangers, and don't be afraid to follow an unexpected invitation Links & resources Follow Nathalie Mohadjer on Instagram Explore her visual story about Siwa, Egypt on Afar Explore her photographs of Oman in her first Afar feature Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:00 Arriving in Siwa 00:09:00 Meeting Fatima 00:17:00 Photographing with Patience 00:24:00 Timelessness and Culture 00:30:00 Advice for Travelers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennifer Hope Choi plans every trip the same way: open a Google doc, start with food, and build outward from there. As a former Bon Appétit editor, 13-year restaurant industry veteran, and author of a travel memoir, she has strong opinions about Michelin guides (skip ‘em), low-rated restaurants (sometimes worth it), and why you should always follow your optician's food recs. She also edited Afar’s debut Travel to Eat series, which includes three stories: Jeju black pork and a life-changing soup, Sherpa cuisine in the Rockies, and why Portland, Maine, might be America’s best bakery town. Meet today's guest Jennifer Hope Choi is a senior editor at Afar and the architect of its Travel to Eat series. A former Bon Appétit editor and 13-year restaurant industry veteran, she is also an award-winning writer and author of the travel memoir the Wanderer’s Curse. Her work spans food and culture, and the messy, joyful overlap between the two. In this episode How Jen’s latchkey childhood, early Food Network shows, and her Korean grandmother’s pancakes shaped a lifelong obsession with eating Why the Google doc comes first: Jen’s method for building food-forward itineraries from Reddit threads, local papers, and stranger recommendations The case against Michelin stars, lines around the block, and treating a trip like a personality — and what to do instead Inside the three stories of Afar’s Travel to Eat series: a transcendent bowl of Jeju black pork soup, Sherpa cuisine taking root in the Colorado Rockies, and the baking scene quietly transforming Portland, Maine Jen’s #1 travel food tip: ask the shop clerk, not the algorithm Links & resources Read the Travel to eat series: ⁠America's best bakery town⁠, a life-changing pork soup, and the rise of Sherpa cuisine in the Colorado Rockies Read Jen's memoir, The Wanderer’s Curse Follow Jen on Instagram Read MFK Fisher's The Art of Eating, Jen’s favorite food book Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:30 Growing Up Food-Obsessed 00:06:30 How to Eat Your Way Through a City 00:11:30 Lists, Stars, and Letting Go 00:21:30 The Travel to Eat Series 00:30:00 Tips for Eating Well on the Road Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It started as an abandoned ukulele on a wall. Afar’s Aislyn Greene hadn’t touched it in two years — but that idle instrument sent her down a rabbit hole into one of the most joyful origin stories in music. The ukulele arrived in Hawai'i on a Portuguese immigrant ship in 1878, got a royal endorsement from a king and queen, fell into obscurity, and then took over the world. Along the way, a family of master craftsmen has been hand-finishing every instrument for over a century, and one of the greatest string players alive still can’t believe people underestimate it. Meet today's guests Roy Sakuma is a musician, educator, and founder of Roy Sakuma Ukulele Studios, Hawaii’s most famous ukulele school with four locations. In 1971, he launched the Ukulele Festival Hawai'i, now the state’s top summer event, and has spent 50 years making the case that the ukulele is no toy. Chris Kamaka is the third-generation owner of Kamaka Ukulele, the oldest continuous ukulele manufacturer in the world, founded in Honolulu in 1916. Each of the 1,000–1,500 ukuleles they produce annually is hand-played by Chris before it leaves the shop. Jake Shimabukuro is a virtuoso musician widely regarded as the greatest ukulele player alive. He has sold out concert halls worldwide and recently collaborated with Mick Fleetwood on a Blues album. In this episode How Portuguese immigrants and Hawaiian royalty together created — and named — the ukulele Why Kamaka Hawai'i still air-dries koa wood for up to six years before touching it How Roy Sakuma’s free Ukulele Festival in 1971 sparked a global revival from his backyard Jake Shimabukuro on recording a tribute to Christine McVie with Mick Fleetwood — and why low expectations are a gift What it’s actually like to take a ukulele lesson from Roy Sakuma (Aislyn finds out live on mic) Resources Listen to Afar's ukulele playlist Sign up for lessons at Roy Sakuma Ukulele Studios Explore the instruments at Kamaka Ukulele Listen to the music of Jake Shimabukuro Visit the Ukulele Festival Hawai'i Chapters 00:00:00 The Ukulele's Origins 00:02:00 Hawaii's Royal Endorsement 00:03:30 Inside the Kamaka Workshop 00:06:00 Roy Sakuma and the Festival 00:09:30 Jake Shimabukuro's Journey 00:13:00 A Lesson With Roy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices