Escape with photographer Steve McCurry

Today’s guest is one of the world’s greatest living photographers. So, in this very special season finale, we’re going to look at travel through the lens of the legendary visual storyteller Steve McCurry. We’ll delve into the story behind the photograph that defined his career: the portrait of a young Afghan girl (Sharbat Gula) with her torn shawl and piercing green eyes that appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine in June 1985. It’s one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century and easily one of the most recognizable magazine covers ever printed. The portrait is likened to a modern-day Mona Lisa due to her captivating gaze.Steve McCurry has captured many powerful and poetic photographs over an exceptional career that spans five decades. He’s devoted a lifetime to documenting the essence of humanity with a sharp focus on conflicts, vanishing culture and ancient traditions, as well as scenes from contemporary life.His long-held fascination with photographing far-off places began when he quit his job at a local newspaper and bought a one-way ticket to India. In this episode, you’ll get a snapshot of Steve’s most memorable travel moments as we hitchhike across the USA, pick fruit on a kibbutz in Israel, swim with sea lions in the Galapagos and accidentally spend the night in a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh.Of course, some of Steve’s adventures aren’t for the faint-hearted – he’s covered extreme weather events and warzones, survived a plane crash in Slovenia and got his big break as a photojournalist in 1979 after crossing the border into Afghanistan disguised as a mujahideen rebel.STEVE McCURRY’S CULTURE GUIDEMonsoon photo-essay in Life Magazine (1961) by Brian BrakeDESTINATION INSPIRATIONRagusa, SicilyPhiladelphiaSouth CarolinaLondonStockholmAmsterdamIsraelIndiaSloveniaAfghanistanChitral, PakistanPeshawar, PakistanThe Galápagos IslandsLadakh, IndiaCubaMandalay, MyanmarIranFor a real visual treat visit stevemccurry.com or look out for Steve’s brand-new book In Search of Elsewhere, which is a unique and brilliant collection of previously unseen images from over forty years of travel. Buy it here. You might also like to follow @stevemccurryofficial on Instagram.If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comThanks so much for listening to the podcast over the past few months. See you soon for more wild and whimsical adventures in 2021 for Season Two of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is British travel journalist and author Sophy Roberts.It takes a special kind of person to hear the sentence ‘the lost pianos of Siberia’ uttered in casual conversation and have those words ignite an obsession that eventuates in a three-year odyssey across the vast, white wilderness of Siberia in search of a piano.Sophy’s self-described ‘oddball quest’ is documented in her debut book The Lost Pianos of Siberia, which has been received with critical acclaim.Sophy Roberts is one of the finest travel writers of our time, having carved out an exceptional career as an editor-at-large for titles such as Condé Nast Traveller and Departures magazine, and a columnist for the Financial Times' How to Spend it.In recent years she’s felt a call to the wild, trading the glitzy hotels and glamorous getaways for a chance to tell untold stories from remote parts of the world, reporting on wildlife conservation, threats to eco-systems and fragile cultures. SOPHY ROBERTS’ CULTURE GUIDEThe Road to Oxiana (book) by Robert ByronAs I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (book) by Laurie LeeIn Patagonia (book) by Bruce ChatwinThe Magic Faraway Tree (book) by Enid BlytonThe Story of Doctor Dolittle (book) by Hugh LoftingThe Secret Garden (book) by Frances Hodgson BurnettSakhalin Island (book) by Anton ChekhovThe Princess of Siberia (book) by Christine Sutherland DESTINATION INSPIRATIONWest Dorset, EnglandAndalucía, SpainDumfries and Galloway, ScotlandVaranasi, IndiaLadakh, IndiaDal Lake, KashmirBrazzaville, Republic of the CongoPamir Mountains, TajikistanThe Ennedi Desert, ChadThe Happy House, Nepal (See Sophy's review for CNT here)The Orkhon valley, MongoliaSiberia (using Anton Chekhov's description: 'The plain of Siberia begins, I think, from Ekaterinburg, and ends goodness knows where’)Kamchatka, RussiaThe Altai Mountains, MongoliaLake Baikal, RussiaThe Kuril IslandsTaiga, RussiaThe Trans-Siberian RailwaySocotra Island, YemenCurious to know if Sophy finds the piano she’s been searching for? Visit thelostpianosofsiberia.com or you can buy the book here.  Please support your local bookshop if you can! Independent bookstores are really struggling at the moment, let's keep them in business this Christmas!! You might also like to follow sophy_roberts on Instagram, she takes spellbinding photographs on her travels.If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comJoin me next week for the final episode of The Escape Artist Season 1!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest Rhiannon Taylor is one of Australia’s most sought-after travel photographers. With a keen sense of style and an eye for design, she’s been a go-to editorial photographer for glossy magazines for almost a decade contributing to titles such as Condé Nast Traveler, Gourmet Traveller, Time, Vogue Living and Architectural Digest.Meanwhile, her wildly successful blog, In Bed With, beautifully curates the most unique hotels from around the world.If you’ve ever scrolled through Pinterest and found yourself in a daze of dreamy hotel suites in exotic locations – you’ve probably come across Rhiannon Taylor.Name any extravagant form of accommodation and she’s probably stayed there - African safari lodges, fairy tale palaces in India, Greek villas, Italian villages and ranches in Texan cowboy country. Then add Hong Kong high-rises, overwater bungalows in the Maldives and luxury tented camps set in the Australian outback. She’s certainly seen her fair share of canopied beds, French freestanding bathtubs, infinity pools and buffet breakfasts.Just wait until you hear her pick for the most romantic hotel on the planet!CULTURE GUIDEThe Darjeeling Limited (film) by Wes AndersonMurder on the Orient Express (book) by Agatha ChristieThe Great Railway Bazaar (book) by Paul TherouxDESTINATION INSPIRATIONMelbourneChin Chin, MelbourneSupernormal, MelbournePt. Leo Estate, Mornington PeninsulaJackalope Hotel, Morington PeninsulaThe GhanCoober Pedy, South AustraliaAman-i-Khás, Rajasthan Ranthambore National Park, RajasthanTaj lake Palace, UdaipurThe KimberleySal Salis Ningaloo ReefGibb River Road, Western AustraliaHotel Esencia, Yucatán Cenotes, YucatánTulum, YucatánCoqui Coqui Perfumerìa, MeridaIstanbul, TurkeyBodrum, TurkeyRoscioli, RomeAustin, TexasLord Howe Island, AustraliaGrand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake ComoFinca Cortesin, CasaresRestaurante Sarmiento, CasaresI thoroughly recommend visiting Rhiannon's blog In Bed With for a dose of escapism or keep up with the latest in boutique hotels on Instagram at @inbedwith.meIf you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comSee you next week for another episode of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is the tea-loving Londoner Henrietta Lovell, also known as 'The Rare Tea Lady’. Who, for the last 20 years, has traversed the globe in search of the world’s most exquisite teas.Henrietta’s love of loose-leaf tea was awakened when a highflying corporate job took her to the dazzling harbour of Hong Kong, where a single sip of oolong transformed her life. She was seduced by the extraordinary flavour and set out to revolutionise the way we drink tea in the West by starting the Rare Tea Company. Since then she has worked alongside the most celebrated chefs, such as Noma’s René Redzepi, Heston Blumenthal and Momofuku’s David Chang – who all seek her expertise in tea.Henrietta’s quest to source leaves directly from farmers and connect with tea growing communities has enticed her to estates in some of the most remote and unlikely of places. Pop the kettle on and make a cuppa because I can feel a rather enchanting episode brewing! DESTINATION INSPIRATIONCopenhagenNoma, CopenhagenSouth West ScotlandHong KongFujian, ChinaSikkim, IndiaSatemwa Tea Estate, MalawiLa Paz, BoliviaCoroico, BoliviaSan Pedro de Atacama, ChileRyōan-ji, KyotoHigashiya Ginza, TokyoClaridge's, LondonZealong Tea Estate, WaikatoIf our conversation has given you a taste for quality tea you can visit rareteacompany.com or uncover more of her stories in Henrietta's beautiful book 'Infused: Adventures in Tea' available here. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comSee you next week for another episode of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lonely Planet is a guidebook publishing empire that has shaped the travels of millions of people around the globe. Today’s guest is the founder of Lonely Planet, Tony Wheeler. He has been described by The New York Times as ‘the trailblazing patron saint of the world’s backpackers and adventure travellers’. It all began when Tony Wheeler and his wife Maureen embarked on an overland odyssey driving a banged-up old car along the ‘Hippie Trail’; a popular route for free-spirits in the 1960s and 70s from Europe to Freak Street in Kathmandu. The Wheelers eventually arrived in Australia with only a few cents left in their pocketsLittle did they know when they set off, that their adventure halfway across the world would take them on a much bigger journey from printing the first Lonely Planet pamphlet ‘Across Asia on the Cheap’ in 1973 to building a multi-million-dollar travel publishing giant.TONY WHEELER’S CULTURE GUIDESpace Captain (1970 song) by Jo Cocker ("Once I was traveling across the sky, this lovely planet caught my eye")Arabian Nights (1974 film) by Pier Paolo PasoliniDESTINATION INSPIRATIONSocotra, YemenKarachi, PakistanThe BahamasLondonIranAfghanistanFreak Street, KathmanduBangkokSingaporeKuta, BaliWestern AustraliaPaddington, SydneyTehran, IranShiraz, IranIraqSiggy’s, Kabul, AfghanistanPyongyang, North KoreaAshgabat, TurkmenistanThe Falkland IslandsCartagena, ColombiaCiudad Perdida, ColombiaPlovdiv, BulgariaAntarcticaThe Himalayas, NepalThe Australian OutbackMontevideo, UruguayYou can find more of Tony’s travels at tonywheeler.com.auIf you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comSee you next week for another episode of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest in Paris-based travel writer and bestselling author, Lindsey Tramuta.After studying French literature and becoming enamoured with the language, Lindsey packed up her bags and moved from Philadelphia to Paris in 2006.Lindsey contributes to The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Afar, Travel & Leisure, Bon Appétit, and Fortune Magazine. She’s also the acclaimed author behind the widely popular book The New Paris, which celebrates the creative movement changing the shape of the world’s most storied city.  Lindsey’s recently released follow up, The New Parisienne, is equally illuminating, as she explores the women and ideas influencing the French capital today – as well as taking on the tired tropes of the idealized Parisian woman.    After calling Paris home for 14 years and writing two books on the subject, you’ll be hard pressed to find an expat who is more of an expert on French culture. So fellow Francophiles, here’s your chance to explore Paris like a local and to get a real feel for the city beyond its grand boulevards, museums and monuments. We’ll cycle through lesser-known neighbourhoods, explore Left Bank bookstores and get a taste of the city’s evolving culinary scene.  DESTINATION INSPIRATIONMarseilleLe Perche, NormandyD’une Île, Normandy11th ArrondissementBambinoLe Mary CelesteMartinCanal Saint-MartinTen Belles HolybellyBelleville BrûlerieCoutume13th ArrondissementBellevilleL'Homme BleuGoutte d’OrHotel de CrillonShakespeare and CompanyJardin du Palais Royal Jardin du LuxembourgRed Wheelbarrow BookstoreTreize BakeryPantheonBoulevard Saint-GermainInstitut du Monde ArabeThe Grande Mosquée de Paris BastilleBoulevard BeaumarchaisMerciCafe MericourtHelwayat Al-Salam, BierutBeit DoumaBaalbekIf you loved Lindsey’s episode, you can find more of her refreshing insights into life in Paris and French culture at lostincheeseland.comYou can purchase The New Paris: The People, Places and Ideas Fuelling a Movement here and her recently released The New Parisienne: The Women and Ideas Shaping Paris here.If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comSee you next week for another episode of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Wally Koval, the founder of Accidentally Wes Anderson (aka ‘the coolest account on Instagram’).The AWA Instagram account (@accidentallywesanderson) features photos of real-life locations that look like they could be part of Wes Anderson’s cinematic world. The director’s distinctive visual style makes him one of the most recognisable auteurs of our time – think of pastel-colour palettes, front on facades and perfectly symmetrical composition.Brooklyn-based Wally Koval, and his wife Amanda, started Accidentally Wes Anderson back in 2017 as a personal travel bucket list. Since then it has grown to inspire a global community of over 1 million followers (otherwise known as ‘Adventurers’). Now the team behind the viral account curate thousands of aesthetically-pleasing images and intriguing stories contributed by explorers, photographers, cinephiles, history-buffs and lovers of architecture from all around the world.Wally's brand new book has been given the Wes Anderson stamp of approval. The Accidentally Wes Anderson book features “200 of the most idiosyncratic and interesting locations on earth” and a foreword penned by the famous filmmaker himself.WALLY KOVAL'S CULTURE GUIDEThe Darjeeling Limited (film) by Wes Anderson Rushmore (film) by Wes Anderson The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (film) by Wes AndersonThe Grand Budapest Hotel (film) by Wes AndersonMoonrise Kingdom (film) by Wes AndersonIsle of Dogs (film) by Wes Anderson Hotel Chevalier (film) by Wes AndersonDESTINATION INSPIRATIONWilliamsburg BridgeCW Pencil EnterpriseCasey Rubber Stamps, New YorkGramercy Typewriter Co., New YorkVanessa’s Dumpling House, New YorkThe Jane Hotel, New YorkDelaware, USALong Beach Island, USAMumbaiThe Maharajas ExpressRyoguku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall), TokyoViennaClock Museum, ViennaSnow Globe Museum, ViennaGlobe Museum, ViennaThe Albertina Museum, ViennaSpanish Riding School, ViennaBar Luce, MilanFondazione Prada, MilanGrand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake ComoBelmond Hotel Splendido, PortofinoThe Palace of Running Water, Buenos AiresAteneo Grand Splendid bookstore, Buenos AiresPort Lockroy, AntarcticaYou can discover more of Wally's one-of-a-kind adventures at accidentallywesanderson.com or purchase his wonderful new book here.If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comSee you next week for another episode of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Australian travel writer and author, Nina Karnikowski. Nina traverses the globe in search of wild, off the beaten path places and stories that promote slower, more sustainable ways to travel.Nina’s well-worn passport has no shortage of stamps as she has visited over 60 countries, travelling to many of them on assignment for Australia and New Zealand’s top publications. When she’s not on the road, Nina calls the bohemian heartland of Byron Bay her home.Her first book Make a Living Living features 26 creatives from around the globe whose wanderlust and words of wisdom will inspire you to live a life less ordinary and carve out a career doing what you love.NINA KARNIKOWSKI’S CULTURE GUIDEThe ‘Ethio Jazz’ music of Mulatu AstatkeBabies (film) by Thomas BalmèsDESTINATION INSPIRATIONGoonengerry National ParkMinyon Falls, Nightcap National ParkCape Byron LighthouseFleet, Brunswick HeadsPipit Restaurant, PottsvilleThe Roadhouse Byron BayFendika Azmari Bet, Addis AbabaLalibela, EthiopiaRatua, VanuatuKunene Region, NamibiaSkeleton Coast, NamibiaChuacruz village, GuatemalaRiad Jardin Secret, MarrakechDadar Flower Market, MumbaiTouch of Joy, Colaba, MumbaiElephanta Island, MumbaiRegal Cinema, MumbaiSwati Snacks, MumbaiAbode Hotel, MumbaiPanauti, NepalBhutanYou can discover more of Nina's thoughtful travels at travelswithnina.com or purchase her delightful new book here.If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comSee you next week for another episode of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is award-winning food writer and restaurateur, Ravinder Bhogal. Ravinder is one of the hottest names on the British culinary scene. Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay all sing her praises and literary great, Salman Rushdie, is one of the many fans you’ll find frequenting her fashionable London restaurant, Jikoni. Jikoni means ‘kitchen’ in Kiswahili – a name inspired by an idyllic childhood spent in Kenya. Her brand-new cookbook ‘Jikoni: proudly inauthentic recipes from an immigrant kitchen’ is a love letter to immigrant culture, celebrating dishes deeply rooted in her Indian heritage, Kenyan homeland, British upbringing and extensive global travels.RAVINDER BHOGAL’S CULTURE GUIDEStealing Beauty by Bernardo Bertolucci (film)                    DESTINATION INSPIRATIONNairobi, KenyaMombasa, KenyaRosewood LondonRegent’s Park, LondonThe Wolseley, MayfairThe Wallace Collection, MaryleboneDaunt Books, MaryleboneCortona, TuscanyTrattoria Dardano, CortonaSyracuse, SicilyMount Etna, SicilyZelyoniy Bazaar, KazakhstanShree Thaker Bhojanalay, MumbaiThe Taj Mahal Palace, MumbaiBeit Douma, LebanonYou can visit Jikonilondon.com or buy Ravinder's gorgeous new cookbook here.If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comSee you next week for another episode of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is Yorkshire-born ballet dancer Xander Parish, who made history as the first British dancer to join the illustrious Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg back in 2010.He is now a principal dancer at one of the most famous ballet companies in the world and was awarded an OBE for his services, both to dance and British-Russian cultural relations.Xander’s life in Russia has a storybook quality and not just because St. Petersburg is a city of jewel box coloured palaces – his repertoire includes romantic roles such as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty’s Prince Désiré and our favourite star-crossed lover, Romeo.Xander’s insights into St. Petersburg offer a treasure trove of cultural delights. Beyond Russia, he has performed gravity-defying leaps in some of the most magical places around the globe.  XANDER PARISH’S CULTURE GUIDESwan Lake (ballet) choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, and music by Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyNutcracker (ballet) choreography by Marius Petipa, and music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky DESTINATION INSPIRATIONThe Algarve, PortugalYorkshire, EnglandSt. PetersburgThe Mariinksy TheatreYusupov Palace The HermitageFabergé MuseumSadko Restaurant, St. PetersburgShapki, RussiaHavana, CubaGran Teatro de la HabanaThe Odeon of Herodes Atticus, AthensPositanoLi Galli Islands (the ‘dance island’), ItalyIf you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review so others can discover this podcast as well. If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration, you can find me on Instagram @escape.artist.podcast or visit www.escapeartistpodcast.comSee you next week for another episode of The Escape Artist!Xx Edwina(Music by the talented Giselle Rosselli)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.